Royalty with a price
by bubblegumlover0
Summary: So Marinette is a princess. She has successfully hidden the fact for a long time but what happens when a certain school trip is arranged to go to her kingdom- Genovia. A story with a sprinkle of adrienette fluff in Genovia and a healthy amount of marichat. Meet Mari's childhood friends, The Royals. Rated T. (The beginning is really cringy but it gets better, I promise.)
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.: Hey! So marinette is a princess. She does not want anyone to know about it but what will happen when there is a certain school trip to HER KINGDOM?! Lots of fluff and fun. Enjoy!**

PROLOGUE

Marinette's POV:

''Marinette", called Adrien. I turned around and saw his face just an inch away from mine. Our breaths mingled and he started to lean in. My eyes fluttered shut and I waited for our lips to meet. "Wake up!", he said. Huh? What?

My eyes shot open and there I was in my familiar bed in the same familiar room. I could still hear wake up calls but they were not my Adrien's gentle voice...this one was really squeaky. Then it hit me who it was...TIKKI! "Tikki did you have to wake me up?! Adrien was just about to kiss me..", I said annoyed. "That is what you told me last night too." And then she started giggling. I gave her a confused look and she pointed at my clock. "I WOKE UP AN HOUR EARLY?! Let me go back to bed.." I pleaded. "NOOO...Come on marinette...why don't you wear the dress you made that day? I bet Adrien would fall head over heels for you if you wore thaaat." She said trying to convince me. I was annoyed at first but then I gave it a bit of thought and I agreed. Just the thought of Adrien made me blush...Tikki looked at me suggestively and I rushed into my bathroom to get changed.

I wore a light blue summer dress with white strapped platform heels and my hair in a messy bun. I walked out and Tikki started squealing...Ah that fan girl. I gave her a little turn so that she could examine the dress. "You are absolutely rocking the dress Marinette!"she said. "Thanks Tikki!" I replied and signalled for her to get into my bag. I greeted my mom and she kissed my cheek while handing me my breakfast. It was a plate full of pancakes stacked on top of one another with Genovian pears on the side. Ah Genovia...I haven't visited my kingdom in very long.

Yes..you might have missed a littleeee detail...I am the princess of Genovia. My parents are the king and queen and while we are in Paris, my beloved grandmother is ruling over Genovia. "Mom..it has been an awfully long time since we have visited our kingdom. Don't you think?" I asked her. "Yes dear... I never realised...well if you want to go, I can arrange you a plane!" My mother is very excited for me to go there...well my 17th birthday is coming up and that is the age when I am crowned the queen. No wonder she is so enthusiastic..I love my mother. "Okay mother don't be too excited. I don't think I will go right THIS moment but I do want to visit so maybe...later this month?" I asked her. "Sure honey!" She said and continued on with her cooking. I went looking for my father and he ruffled my hair.

I rushed out of the door and headed for Hell...I mean school. But at least I get to see Adrien. You must be thinking about how a clumsy girl like me can be royalty. Well, it is all an act. I am actually very poised thanks to my grandma. It made being ladybug a whole lot easier. As for the ADRIEN situation...I really don't know...I haven't really felt this way before. Oh well! I am soon at school. I enter class and suddenly feel all eyes on me. Oh right! Outfit change...I'm wearing a dress. They keep on staring silently. I feel awkward and blurt out,"Come on people! No more staring!" They look away and smile. I head up to my desk and fist bump Alya. "Sweet outfit girl!", she complimented. I smiled gratefully and begin to get my books out of my bag. Then I hear someone walk into the classroom. I look up and my breath hitches.

It.is.Adrien.And.He.Is.Looking.Right.At.ME! He smiles and says," Love your dress Mari!" "Thank you " I manage to reply. He takes his place in front of me and Alya pats my back proudly telling me about how I didn't stutter. I squeal and hug her. Then Ms. Bustier enters. "She looks awfully happy today." Alya whispers to me. "Really?I think it's more of an excited look." I reply. "Class I have amazing news for all of you. Our plan for the next field trip is decided," she tells us. "Oh yay!" Me and Alya say at the same time and then we giggle. Ms. Bustier continues," We are going on a trip to Genovia!!"

Oh no...nonononono this cannot be happening..

 **Author's Note: Hey guys! So this is my first story and it might be crappy but I promise it gets better. Thanks to herongraystairs1234 (who I know in person) to help me. She boosted my confidence and encouraged me to post this chapter.PLEASE REVIEW SO I KNOW IF I SHOULD GO ON. I'll post my schedule next chapter Thanks for reading and don't forget to review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N.:Hey guys! Thank you for your reviews! Now...if you guys can help me out here...that would be great. I need a name for a character. A guy who is flirty, overconfident and charming. If you can PM me some names...I'd really appreciate it. I hope you like this chapter. Now read.**

Marinette's POV:

Oh no...Nonononono this cannot be happening.

GENOVIA?! MY kingdom?! My friends cannot know about this. It is supposed to be a top secret after all! What if the people there recognise me?! Well they haven't seen me in two years and puberty has hit me like a truck(in a good way,I must add)...And sure I can make some phone calls and plan something...yeah I can handle this...I can handle the pressure...I CANNOT HANDLE THE PRESSURE!

I blurt out," WHY!?".

Great..now the whole class is staring at me...including MY SWEET ADRIEN!

Nino asks me," Hey dudenette! Don't you have a place in Genovia?"

"Um.." I try to avoid the question when Alya says," OH right! Isn't that where you go every summer?".

I try to think of an answer when Adrien asks me,"So when we go why don't we visit your place marinette?".

Now I lose it. Them, in a Palace? MY palace?! They will freak out!

So my stupid mouth says," NoNoNope nope no way...I um... I um..GOTTA GO!...To the washroom!"

And with that I rush out of class before Ms. Bustier can say anything.

I enter the stall and immediately call Papa.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class honey?"Papa asks me.

"Papa! The school has organised a field trip to GENOVIA!".

My father looks at me for a second and then says,"That's great! You get to reunite with your cousin, James, Meet your childhood best friend Lucas after two years and his cousin Lucy, who is your friend too. Isn't this great?"

Before I can reply, my father continues," Listen,cupcake. I know you don't want anyone finding about this secret but think about it...Everybody will come to know on your 17th birthday...It is going to be a public announcement after all!"

He does make a point. I reply with," But at least I have time till then. Can you please make calls to the royal families. Please convince them to pretend as if they don't know me in front of my classmates."

"Done." He assures me.

"You should get back to your class now."he advises.

"You're right." I put my iPhone back in my bag.

I enter class with all eyes on me. I just silently walk back to my desk.

"What happened?"Alya,Adrien and Nino asked.

Quick marinette think of an excuse...

"You guys just overwhelmed me with feelings. I mean memories. I have not been there in like forever. But let's go."I replied.

I hope that was believable.

"Yay girl!"Alya says but gives me a 'we will talk later look'.

I guess she is suspicious.

Bell rings and me and Alya are walking over to my place.

"OKAY MARINETTE...SPILL!"She suddenly stops and yells in my ear.

I am so startled that I jump like ...a foot in the air. I put on an innocent face and ask, "What,Alya?".

She just silently stares into my soul. Come on,Marinette! Sell your performance a little more. I tilt my head for more effect.

She just shakes her head,"Ay ay ay...Girl you need some acting lessons. You know I know when you're lying...so stop playing dumb and just tell me."

Know when I'm lying...pfftttt...yeah right...all those times when I give her the lamest excuses to go transform into ladybug. Anyways, what do I do now? Tell her the truth? Run away? Well I can't run away twice in a day. Let's go with the truth then.

I begin," Um you need to come with me," I scan the street and find an alleyway,"right there". I drag us both there. "

"What was that Mari?" She asks me.

Truth time. " Um Alya you know about Genovia right?" I try to play it cool.

"The kingdom? Yeah."she replies eagerly waiting for what I'm about to explain.

"I heard that the princess's birthday is this year. She is turning 17 and about to be crowned queen."she continues.

"Well you see...I'm kind of...THE princess." I say lamely.

First she just stares at me. Then she chuckles and then starts laughing loudly.

"Girl, I love you and all but that is the lamest excuse you have ever given me." I stare at her...then she realises that that is the truth.

She stares at me disbelievingly, mouth agape. She looked like a fish... I burst out laughing.

"Why are you laughing?" She asks.

"Sorry Alya but you looked really funny there." I say as I wipe my tears.

"Wait..so you're a princess? Like actual royalty? Like ball gowns and gloves? Like your parents are king and queen?!" She asks all at once.

"Yes,yes,yes and yes." I answer simply.

She starts jumping excitedly,"My BFF is a pri-!"

"Shhh..." I cover her mouth. "No one can know."

"But what about ON your birthday? Wouldn't

the whole world know it then?" She asks.

"We will see what to do when that happens but for now,no one must know."I answer calmly.

"Gotcha girl." We fistbump. We walk back to my place.

"Girls! How was your day? By the way, I prepared your favourite macaroons Alya!"My mom greets us.

"Thanks a lot Mrs. Dupain-Cheng! Or should I say...your majesty..?" Alya grins.

"Um.."my mother looks at me.

I sigh and say," She knows..."

"Oh my god ,Alya darling you have no idea how much I have wanted to rant about the royal life to someone. Now that you know...please let me complain.. Marinette never listens." my mother says and holds Alya's wrist to drag her to the couch.

I protest by saying "Hey!"

Mom is really excited on letting Alya in on our little secret. She must have wanted to let it all out to a person who is not a 'blue blood' or 'lord/lady'. Well I'm happy. I tell Alya to join me in my room after she is done.

I climb up the stairs and just look at the pictures of Adrien plastered all over my room. Hm...now that I think of it...they are very very very creepy. I am not a stalker...right? I just realised about how weird I would feel if I had my face plastered all over somebody's room.

Adrien's POV:

I dreamily sigh as I stare at ladybug's pictures that I have covered my bedroom walls with.

"Plagg, isn't she the dreamiest."

"Yes she is...in your dreams! Haha my puns are so funny...unlike yours."Plagg comments.

Ah that little kwami! Sometimes I feel like crushing that tiny god!

"Shut up." I tell him.

He hums and continues to eat his Camembert. Ew that stink.

"Anyways what about that trip you are having to that Genovia place?" Plagg asks me.

"Oh I have already asked father. And he said I could go...he even gave me a hug!" I say happily.

Lately dad has been acting like a proper father. I am so happy.

"And what was the deal with that cute girl...Marinette running away mid class?"Plagg questions.

I didn't really know. "I guess too many memories came flooding to her." I think and reply.

Well I hope we all have fun on the trip.

We all got emails from the school saying that our trip is in two weeks. Man, I'm pumped.

"Adrien,it's time for your photo shoot."Nathalie reminds me.

Oh right...

"Thanks." I reply.

I gather all my things, get plagg and hop into the limo.

Marinette's POV:

I take down the posters of adrien and lie on my bed only for Alya to come up.

"I had no idea being a royal was so hard. Your mom explained to me about how you always have to remain uptight and posh and fabulous. Good luck Mari!"she tells me.

"What happened to the creepy pictures of Adrien?" She asks.

I giggle and say," They were weird weren't they?"

"You bet!".

We both lay down in comfortable silence until Alya breaks it," So..any cute guys you know in Genovia?"

This makes me laugh..."Nah my friends are the dorkiest. I mean they are cute...but I've never seen him that way."

"Who is the 'him' getting my Mari all fond?"

"Well he is..."

 **Author's note: Oh my god! Thank you guys for the reviews. And thanks for the awesome advice TsukiyoTenshi...it really helped. I will try to update at least once in three days. I hope you guys keep on reading. Don't forget to review. Xoxo.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N.: Hey guys! So let me tell you why I used 'Genovia' as the kingdom's name. Well, I really like The Princess Diaries and got inspired by it. Now...this fanfiction is not based on the movie but will have some references later on. So anyways here is the next chapter. Hope you like it! Now read.**

Alya's POV:

Me and Marinette are lying down on her soft,pink bed. So cozy...no wonder Marinette oversleeps.

"He is...wait a minute." She picks her phone up and starts going through her photo gallery.

Not finding the picture she was looking for, she runs into her storage room. What is that girl doing?

I hear some typical Mari noises like 'GAH!' Or 'Ughh' to which I respond with "You good?"

"Yup"

She suddenly appears with what looks like a photograph in her hand.

"A picture?" I'm confused.

"Here." She hands the picture to me.

It is a childhood photo.

"How old is this picture ?" I ask.

"About 10 years. Sorry I couldn't find a recent one.

I proceed to examine the image.

I see Marinette hugging two guys and a girl.

Only guy looks awfully lot like Mari. He has got blue eyes almost as vibrant as Marinette's, pale skin, raven hair and a smile to his face.

The other guy has light brown hair, slightly tanned skin, gorgeous hazel eyes and is flashing his pearly whites.

And finally the girl, she looks a lot like the tanned guy. She has arabesque skin with hazel eyes and long brown hair.

"Who are the people next to you Mari?" I ask her.

"My friends in Genovia! The blue haired one is my cousin,James. This guy is Lucas and the girl is his cousin Lucy!" She says while pointing her fingers at each one of them.

"If this picture is ten years old...these boys must be breaking hearts right now. Do they look hot?" I ask casually.

"ALYA! One of them is my cousin. And the other is my best friend. All I can tell you is that they are goofballs. I mean they are hot depending on the way you see them...but I don't." She replies flustered.

"Girl I think you might have a crush on Luke." I state.

"Lucas." She corrects me.

"Ha! You didn't deny it!"

She gives me an 'ARE YOU SERIOUS' look.

I laugh and say,"Just kidding girl..But if puberty has done him right then...ooh la la."

She giggles and throws a pillow at me. Oh it's on. I put the picture by her window still and grab her black cat plush and fling it at her. We pillow fight for a while until one of my pillows hits the windo and throws it open.

Oh no...

THE PHOTOGRAPH AND AN ADRIEN POSTER DETAILED WITH LITTLE PINK HEARTS GOES FLYING OUT THE WINDOW.

Me and Marinette look at each other for a moment and then lean down from the window to see where the poster and picture has gone.

OH MY GOD.

We see Adrien and Nino walking on the streets about to enter Marinette's bakery. And the poster flies and gets stuck on Nino's face while the photo lands in front of Adrien.

Marinette freaking out in 3..2..1..

"ALYA IF HE SEES THAT POSTER I AM GOIMG TO DIE! DO SOMETHING. YOU KNOW WHAT..IF HE SEES THE PICTURE...I AM GOING TO OFFICIALLY MOVE TO CANADA...FAR AWAY FROM HERE WHERE I CAN PEACEFULLY DIE OF SHAME. DO SOMETHING WOMAN!"

Bingo.

I see Nino get the poster off his face and then stare at it amused. He knows about Marinette's LITTLE (ahem huge ahem) crush on Adrien. Knowing that he is standing right outside her house, he figures out that the poster came from marinette's room. He looks up and smirks while Adrien is examining the photograph that fell at his feet.

I use sign language to tell Nino to get rid of the poster. He understands and crumples it and barely tosses it in the trash can as Adrien looks up at him.

Me and Marinette are almost hanging out the window to listen to their conversation.

"What was that Nino?" Adrien asks suspiciously.

"Don't worry dude. Just a tissue paper." Nino lies.

"Oh okay." Adrien then continues to look at the picture.

That boy is too naive...

"Hey isn't that Marinette in this picture?!" Adrien realises.

"Oh yeah dude...the picture is quite old though..who are the other guys?" Nino adds.

"I don't know but Marinette looks cute in this." Adrien says.

Marinette gasps next to me and swoons. I tell her to dial it down and she obliges.

"She must have misplaced it. Let's go give it back to her." Nino suggests.

"Right!" And then Adrien and Nino enter the bakery.

"Thank god you took the pictures out and got rid of Adrien's schedule chart. Now just don't stutter."

"I noticed that I stopped stuttering." Mari tells me.

"Good for you girl!" I reply proudly.

We hear knocks on the door. We both sit on the bed and pretend to be busy on our phones as if that is what we have been doing the whole time.

"Come in." Marinette gives them permission to enter.

"Hey!" Nino and Adrien say at the same time.

"Hi guys!" Marinette greets them and I wave.

"So what are you doing here?" I question them.

"Oh we were passing by and then I found this. Is it yours Marinette?" Adrien asks Marinette while handing her the photograph.

"It is. Thank you!" She says.

"Hey Dudenette who are the other people posing in there?" Nino asks obviously curious.

"Just some childhood friends." Marinette replies nostalgically.

"That's cool."

"So now that you guys are here..why don't we hang out in Marinette's room for a while." i suggest.

"Sure." Adrien says and takes a seat next to Nino.

"So what are we doing?"Adrien asks me.

"Playing some truth or dare." I reply with a mischievous glint in my eyes.

Marinette starts making 'CUT IT OUT' Signals from behind the boys. I obviously ignore her.

"Okay, Adrien. Truth or dare?"

"Dare! I'm not scared." He says while flexing.

"Okay then pretty boy..why don't you call daddy and tell him that you're...expecting a child." I finish with a smirk.

Adrien's face leaves colour. He is terrified. He starts spluttering and talking about how he can't do it.

I roll my eyes.

"Come on! Don't be so scared...it's a harmless joke." I try to convince him.

"Okay..." He gives in.

*Ring Ring*

"Hello?" A deep voice answers the phone.

"Hello, father. I have something to tell you." Adrien is literally shaking right now.

"Oh Adrien! Do tell." His father replies wanting to know about what Adrien was going to say.

"I'm pregnant."

"Adrien...you are a male." His father deadpans.

"Oh right! I am! Silly me! Sorry dad!" He says lamely and ends the call.

We all burst out laughing.

"Okay...Mari! Truth or dare?" Adrien asks Marinette.

Marinette's POV:

"Truth!" I answer.

What could Adrien even ASK me. OHMYGOSH WHAT IF HE ASKS ME ABOUT MY CRUSH?! It's him...And I'll have to say the truth! Please no please no please no.

"Have you had your first kiss yet?" He asks...obviously curious.

Of course I haven't...wait a minute...I HAVE! Chat noir! That dumb charming alley cat. Charming? Where did that come from blehk.

"Yes." I reply.

I'm totally aware of the reactions that are about to come rushing to me from my friends.

"GIRL WHO?! WHY DON'T I KNOW THIS?!" Says Alya.

"How dare somebody kiss my best friend like that?!" Nino says protectively.

"Who?" Adrien asks eager to know.

"1 question per round only." I reply reminding them the rules.

They all groan.

"Hey it's late...we should leave now." Nino says and Adrien nods.

"Me too Mari." Alya says.

"Hey... by the way, are you coming for the field trip?" Adrien asks while wearing his shoes.

I hesitate but say "I am."

"Well I hope we have fun." He smiles and walks out with Alya and Nino.

Okay so now...let's start packing. Well, I don't need to pack because I already have a closet in Genovia with all the outfits I could want...along with some that I made. I will need a pretend bag though. I don't want my classmates finding out my little secret.

"Tikki! What should I pack? I don't need clothes. I have plenty in Genovia." I ask for her advice.

"Why don't you ask your mom?" She suggests.

I give her a high five and run down the stairs.

"Mom what do I carry as my luggage? To Genovia?"

"I have already taken care of it sweetie. The suitcase is already packed and kept under your bed. You can grab it before you leave, next week." She smiles at me.

"Thanks mom!" I kiss her cheek and run upstairs.

I change into my pyjamas and hop into bed.

"Sweet dreams." I tell Tikki.

"You too." She mumbles, half asleep.

The lights are put out and I shut my eyes waiting to fall asleep.

I can't wait for next week.

 **A.N.: Hey! Stay tuned for the next chapter. I hope you review because it really makes my day!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors note: Hey guys! I apologise for this chapter being shorter but here it is. I decided the name 'Zayn' for the flirt. Lucas is not the flirt...I repeat...Lucas is not the flirt. He is someone else. Anyways I hope you review. Now read.**

Marinette's P.O.V.:

The week passed by with the whole school buzzing about the school trip. I couldn't help feeling anxious.

What if something goes wrong. What if someone recognises me. Papa did make some calls but I'm still worried and not ready. What if they judge me? What if they treat me differently? I don't want that. I don't.

My head is filled with thoughts and doubts as I pace in my room. It's the day we leave for Genovia. I have goosebumps just thinking about the things that could happen.

"Marinette! Are you ready,dear? My mom calls from downstairs.

"Coming." I shout back.

I grab my suitcase and look at myself in the mirror. I'm just a casual cool princess. I'm wearing a black top with a pineapple on it with some highwaisted jeans, a flannel around my waist and some ankle boots. My hair is in a ponytail and I'm wearing a choker. I pretty much look like a basic tumblr girl but with my own style.

"Come on Tikki! Get in my bag..."

"You are going to be fine Marinette!" She assures me.

I smile at her gratefully and then she gets into the bag.

I walk down the stairs, grab my phone from my pocket and get my earphones out. Before I can plug them in, my mom gives me a necklace.

"Give this to your grandma. She will know what to do."

I nod and smile. My mother kisses my forehead and tells me that my ride to school is here.

"Now... don't be worried. Your father has already asked everyone to pretend as though they don't know you. Nobody in Paris knows...except your class teacher." My mom says trying to not freak me out...BUT THAT DOESN'T WORK!

"SHE KNOWS?!??"

"Honey...we had to let her in on this...don't you think she would get suspicious if you just keep sneaking out?"

Yeah totally. As if I have NEVER snuck out on her...all those times during akuma attacks.

"Fine." I agree.

"Great! Now your luggage is in your ride...once you reach the Genovian airport , you will find your friends and cousin waiting for your class. They will play along and greet you once you are alone. You will be going in your private jet but your classmates don't have to know that. Now..enjoy your trip!" My mother tells me.

"Thanks mom!" I kiss her cheek and get into the cab.

"Your father and I will fly in on your birthday! Goodbye!" She says as the driver starts the car.

"Okay. Bye!" And with that...we are off to the airport.

We reach the Charles de Gaulle airport in about half an hour. I'm the first one to get there...let's just listen to some music. I pop on my earphones and play 'Cool Girl' by Tove Lo.

"Hey Marinette!" A cheery voice greets me.

I turn around and see a very enthusiastic Adrien Agreste. Gosh it's so cute...GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME MARINETTE!

"Hey Adrien! You are obviously excited." I say.

"Hehe sorry. I don't get to go on field trips often."

"No problem. Hey! Alya wanted to sit with Nino on the plane! Wanna sit with me?" I ask, hoping he would say yes.

"Definitely!" He grins.

We wait in comfortable silence till our classmates arrive. Alya and Nino walk up to us and we chat for a while.

"Attention students!" Ms. Bustier calls our attention to her.

"The royal family," her eyes flicker to me and she winks at me. I give her a thumbs up and she continues,"has arrange a private jet for us."

Whispers break out amongst our group. Alya pulls me to the side.

"Sweet! Your parents did this?" She whispers.

"Yes!"

We walk back to the group. We are then guided by security to my plane. It is quite big and very luxurious.

"Woah! I bet even Chloe's dad doesn't own such a plane!" Nino comments.

"Obviously they don't. This is the ROYAL family we are talking about." Adrien tells Nino.

"Okay class! Go get your seats...we will arrive in Genovia in 5 hours. Get some rest if you need. Oh and the room in the back isn't vacant. Please don't disturb Room 00." Ms. Bustier requests us.

Who the hell is that in my plane?! Probably my bodyguard or something.

"Come on Marinette! Let's catch our seats." Adrien grabs my hand and takes me to our assigned seats.

Eek!! ADRIEN IS HOLDING MY HAND!! Stay cool Marinette.

"Can I have the window seat?" I ask childishly.

"Sure." He chuckles.

I get in my seat and he gets into his. We buckle up our seat belts and now are free to do whatever we want. I grab my sketchbook and start designing.

"Wanna play music?" Adrien asks me.

"Go on."

He plays 'Kill em with kindness' and we start jamming out.

After some time I'm tired and fall asleep. My pillow is very warm. I snuggle close to it and sigh.

Adrien's P.O.V.:

After singing for a while, Marinette falls asleep...on my shoulder. She looks so peaceful. I don't want to wake her up and for some reason I'm fine with her there. She snuggles closer. Now I'm sure my face is bright red.

After 4 hours, the pilot announces," We will be landing in Genovia in a few minutes. Passengers please return to your seats and buckle up. On hearing the loud sound, Marinette's eyes flutter open.

Marinette's P.O.V.:

Why did the pilot announce? I was so warm,snuggled into my pillow. Wait a minute...I NEVER BROUGHT A PILLOW! I open my eyes only to see Adrien's face a few inches away from mine. I utter a yelp and return to an erect position. I open my bag to see Tikki still sleeping. I should let her rest.

"Sorry for falling asleep on you Adrien." I apologise.

"No worries." He brushed my apologies off.

"Well, well. Hello there." A voice greets us.

I would recognise that suave voice anywhere.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Hey guys! I was going to update on the 1st but it was my birthday and i was really busy. So here is the next chapter. I have given you the description of my original characters. Now, I might not be able to do this for every new character but I had some time so I did. Now read and please review!**

ZAYN'S DESCRIPTION: Zayn is the prince of Crystallia. He is Marinette's friend and also a big flirt. Marinette shows no interest in him but he is not giving up. He continues trying to charm her. He wants to win her heart. He sees Lucas as competition even though Lucas is just a 'best friend'. He is very attractive.

Physical appearance:

Black hair

Blue eyes

Skin colour: natural beige

Jawline

Fit body.

LUCAS'S DESCRIPTION : Lucas is Marinette's childhood best friend. He is playful. Jokes around. Teases Marinette BUT is a very very sweet guy. Has one cousin. He is the prince of one of the neighbouring countries, Draclake. He is very attractive .

Physical appearance:

Light brown hair(undercut)

Hazel eyes

Skin colour: slight tan

Jawline

Fit body.

LUCY'S DESCRIPTION: Lucy is also Marinette's childhood friend. She is energetic and has got Marinette's back at all times. She has one cousin, Lucas. Princess of Estercliff.She is pretty.

Physical appearance:

Long brown hair

Hazel eyes

Skin colour: arabesque

Fit figure.

JAMES' DESCRIPTION : Marinette's cousin. Prince of Prycrest. He is protective of Marinette. Enjoys teasing her. Looks quite similar to Marinette. He loves his cousin dearly.

Physical appearance:

Raven hair (undercut)

Blue eyes

Skin colour: pale skin

Jawline

Fit body.

All of them are the same age as Marinette.

Marinette's P.O.V.:

I would recongnise that suave voice anywhere.

Zayn.

I turn my head around and he smirks at me .

"May I speak to you, 'MISS'?" He emphasises on 'Miss'. Papa must have told him to pretend too.

"I'll be back Adrien." I tell Adrien.

He nods and I go to the back of the plane with Zayn.

"Zayn. What the hell are you doing in my plane?!"

"I'm here to see your flawless face." He winks.

"Not working. What is the reason?"

"Your mother appointed me as an escort. I accepted so...here I am." He grins.

I roll my eyes and smile. He might be a pain and a flirt but that does not mean he isn't a friend.

We hug . Once we break the hug, he ruffles his hair .

"Well...I wanna go shower." He says.

"Wanna join me?" He continues.

"You're disgusting. And you aren't taking a shower because we are about to land. Go back to your seat and I'll go to mine."

"Fine." He chuckles and returns to his seat.

I nod and head back to Adrien.

Adrien's P.O.V.:

Who was that guy? Why did Marinette leave with him? Oh maybe he is an escort. But why Marinette. WHY AM I FEELING ANGRY?

I sigh and lean back in my chair.

"Hey...I'm back." Marinette is back .

"Hey Mari...who was that?" I ask.

"Oh...um...he was...the escort sent to us...he had to call one student to ask about our plans and he saw me first so...I went." She said.

"Oh okay! Buckle up." And she wears her seatbelt.

Marinette's P.O.V.:

Phew... He believes me. It was good seeing Zayn though...now I have to keep up with his ego.

The pilot descends the plane and we land. Our plane is taken into a garage as it is a private jet.

We grab our bags and climb down the steps.

"Listen up children! Your suitcases are back at the palace. Yes! We are staying at the palace! Okay okay I know you guys are dying to talk to your friends about all this but wait...we have something else for you! Prince Lucas, Princess Lucy and Prince James,the cousin of the princess of Genovia, are present here." Ms. Bustier announces.

Lucas, James and Lucy!? Here?! At the airport! I can't wait to see them.

"They will be coming here in 5-10 minutes. You may talk till then." Ms. Bustier informs us.

Alya grabs my arm and drags me away from the rest of the group.

"Who was that total babe you were talking to on the plane?" She asks me.

I roll my eyes and answer," That would be Zayn."

"Malik?"

"No silly! Lord Zayn of Crystallia. Basically another prince!"

"Ooohhh."

"Let's head back there."

And we join Adrien and Nino.

"Hey guys! What do you think the royal families are gonna be like." Adrien asks us.

"I think they will be pretty sweet." Alya replies.

Me and Nino nod. I actually know that they are sweet, goofy and the best people to be alive (except Alya ,Nino and my sweet ADRIEN).

"They are here class!" Ms. Bustier calls us.

We turn our heads to see them. LUCAS, LUCY AND JAMES ARE HERE. They haven't spotted me yet.

Woah! They look so different.

Lucas has the same brown hair but now an undercut. A jawline that could cut glass, and the same hazel eyes and tanned skin.

James has an undercut too! Raven hair, blue eyes and a sharp jawline. Skin pale like mine.

Lucy has long brown hair, bright eyes full of joy.

Man they look HAWT!

Lucas catches my eye and nudges the other two. They all look at me and I smile. I can see them trying not to break out into grins themselves.

Zayn comes behind them and whispers something in their ears. Probably about how he thinks I have finally fallen for him ore something. Lucas and James shake their heads while Lucy rolls her eyes.

Lucas walks up front.

"Hey guys! Welcome to Genovia. The royal family is not present here this time but here we are. The royals from the neighbouring countries. You will be living in my best friend, the Genovian princess' palace. I hope you enjoy your stay." He ends with a wink.

Most girls swoon while I just giggle at his flirtatious attempt. He is a little goofball.

"Hey ladies! You all look ravishing. I'm Zayn , the prince of Crystallia, at your service.Your limos are waiting for you at the gate. Your teacher will now announce your seating arrangements." Zayn flashes his pearly whites and the girls almost faint.

Ugh... how do people find this charming? The only flirt I can bear is Chat Noir.

Ms. Bustier ticks everybody's names off the list except mine.

"We are missing Marinette's seat sir." She tells James.

Before James can answer, Zayn cuts in," OH silly Lucas! How can you mess up the arrangements."

Lucas deadpans,"You are the one who decided the seating charts remember?"

"Whatever."

"Why don't you ride with us, Miss Marinette?" James asks me as if I'm a stranger.

"It's the least we can do after messing up." Lucy smiles at me.

"Sure." I smile back.

The rest of the class get into their limos and leave. As soon as they are out of sight, we all hug. It feels so nice to be back with my friends.

"Marinette...i missed you so much." James tells me.

"You have no idea how much I missed you." Lucy says with tears of joy.

"Life without you was very boring." Lucas tells me.

"I'm glad you came. Now I can finally win your heart." Zayn smirks.

I roll my eyes but giggle.

"I missed you guys so much. Come on, we have got so much to catch up on!"

We hop into our ride and start driving. This is gonna be interesting.


	6. Chapter 6

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! This chapter is really short and not as good as I expected it to be...but here it is. And a huge shoutout to my friend 'herongraystairs1234' for helping me write this story! Check out her fanfiction based on The Mortal Instruments! It's amazing! Anyways here is the next chapter! Now read.**

Marinette's P.O.V.:

"So...what has been up with you guys?" I ask.

"Lizzy and i broke up ." James updates me.

Why would she do that? What could my cousin have ever done to her? James must have been hurt.

"Woah sis! I know you are thinking about how it broke my heart and stuff. The truth is that I was the one who broke up with Liz." He tells me.

"Um...WHY?! Y'all were so cute togetherrr." I whine.

"It wasn't working out." He lies to me.

I look into his eyes and he turns his head away from me nervously. We both knew that wasn't the reason. I know that James has a MAJOR crush on Lucy...since we were 5. He thought he could get over her but nope, he hasn't.

"OKAY JAMES. I believe you." I say but in my mind I'm all like Yeah right.

"Lucas, what's been up with you?" I change my focus to Lucas.

"Nothing much. I'm still as attractive as ever. You look like you've grown shorter though." He chuckles.

"About the attractive thing- As if! And I've not grown shorter. You're just taller."

"Like always." He grins.

I hit him on the head and then turn to Lucy.

"I feel so sorry for you dear Lucy. You were alone with these animals for TWO WHOLE YEARS." I say to her.

She giggles.

"You are not wrong about me being an ANIMAL." Zayn butts in.

I give him a disgusted look and turn my attention back to Lucy.

"It's been fine really. But I missed you so much. You are like my sister. And now you're back. We are going to have so much fun! " she says excitedly.

I smile and then turn towards Zayn. I sigh.

"OKAY Zayn. Your turn to tell me what has been up with you."

"Well, I still have my killer looks, my charming smile and amazing personality. I was missing you though. Now that you're here...I can finally make you fall for me." He smirks.

I roll my eyes so hard that I could have seen my brain back there if I tried.

"HOW HAS YOUR LIFE BEEN?" They all ask me.

"Oh my god! Amazing! You know Nino...he has been my friend since I went to Paris. So like...since I was 2. I have also made 2 new best friends. You know about my classmates and CHLOE." I spit her name out.

"Oh that bit-"

"No swearing!" Lucy reminds Lucas.

"So...any romantic interest, Sis?" James asks me, one eyebrow quirked.

"Uhhh...nope...no...um.. no romantic interest." I try to lie.

"You are horrible at this." They deadpan.

"OKAY there is a guy I like BUT I will not reveal his name yet...I will only tell Lucy." I can trust Lucy with my life.

"Yay!" Lucy cheers.

"Ugh!" The guys say.

"Adrien Agreste." I whisper into Lucy's ear.

"Oh my god! He has met us before! He had tagged along with his father...Gabriel Agreste...to design our clothes for the annual Masquerade Ball...which we have for YOUR birthday each year." She whispers back.

So Adrien has been here already?! Met my friends?! Been in my palace?!

"Did he attend the ball?" I whisper back.

"Nope. They had to leave a day early. Something came up. Oh my god! I just realised. You and your classmates get to attend the ball this year!" She whispers excitedly.

"Are y'all done with the whispering?" Zayn asks annoyed.

"Yup. Sorry." We smile sheepishly.

"How could I stay mad at that lovely face." Zayn flirts with me.

I groan and bury my head in my hands.

"Your highnesses, we have reached the palace." Our driver announces.

I roll down my window and look at my home. Ah...I have missed this place terribly.

"The rest of your class hasn't arrived yet. We had their limousines take the long way round." Lucy tells me.

"So here is the plan...we will meet everyday, at night or whenever you're alone Marinette. We will pretend as if we don't know you in front of your friends. Aunty Sabine told me that you teacher knows about this. If we get caught...we'll I don't have an excuse yet but I'm sure we will figure something out. Got that? Oh and about the special events like Fantasy week and the ball are going to be held this year as well...so we'll talk about that later." Lucas has laid down the plan for us.

We nod and then hear the other cars come in. I act as if I'm on my best behaviour and a but uncomfortable because I'm standing in front of the 'ROYALS'. My classmates get out of their limos, their mouths hanging open.

"Oh my god! This is amazing!" Alya comments.

Everybody agrees with her. They are still awestruck.

"Eeeekk! Prince Lucas, Prince Zayn and Prince Jamesssss!!" Chloe squeals and rushed towards them.

I have warned the boys about Chloe before but seeing her in person is on a totally different level.

She latches herself onto Lucas and Zayn like a leech. I hear James sigh in relief behind me. I giggle quietly and go join my class.

"Girl! How was the ride with the royals?" Alya asks me quietly.

"They are the same as ever." I whisper back.

"Was it exciting to sit beside them?" Nino asks me.

"OMG YES!" I try to fan girl over my friends.

"I've actually met them before." Adrien asks.

So I've heard.

"YOU HAVE?!" Alya and Nino scream at him. I quirk an eyebrow to seem curious.

"Yes... my dad had to design stuff for the Masquerade ball last year. I went along with him but sadly we had to leave a day earlier to go for Paris fashion week." Adrien admits.

Oh so that's why they left.

"Attention students! Lord Zayn would now announce our plans for this trip." Ms. Bustier calls for our attention.

Zayn manages to escape from Chloe's clutches and runs and stands next to Ms. Bustier.

The class muffles their laughter. Lucas is now alone with Chloe still latched onto him. He looks my way to seek help but I just giggle and stick my tongue out. His face has BETRAYAL written all over him. I smirk and turn my attention to Zayn. There's something I never thought I would do.

"Hey class! So now I will be handing you these flyers which have all the events held while you're here with us in Genovia!" Zayns says and winks of course.

And the girls swoon.

He hands it over and takes some extra time while handing it to me. I give him the death stare and he hurries back and stands next to James.

Hm...lets look at this list. Not bad. Not bad at all.

More things may be added*

Of course I'm super nervous about coronation but the rest will be FUN! I see Alya, Nino and Adrien grinning widely on hearing the plan. I try to reflect their expressions.

"Hey before you head inside the castle, understand this. Do not treat us like ROYALS. We are just like you guys, we're even the same age so just chill okay?" Lucas tells us.

I mean DUH. They don't have to treat royalty royally. We are just like the others. We just have been given a title.

Well, it's time to head inside.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note : Hey guys! THANK YOU FOR A 100 followers. Now please read the A.N. at the end after reading this chaos and I hope you understand. Huge shoutout to herongraystairs1234 for helping me with this chapter. Go check her book out! It's called 'sit still look pretty.' And it's based on The Mortal Instruments (TMI) . Amazing! Ok enough talking. I hope you like this chapter. Now read.**

Alya's P.O.V.:

Marinette got to be in the limo with her childhood friends. They are perfection. I'm not just talking about looks but their manners, politeness and their voices . Ah even they couldn't avoid Chloe. She just glomped them. Anyways, now we are at the palace and I cannot wait to go in .

"Alya...please stay calm." Marinette requests me.

"No worries girl!" I try to assure her that I won't freak out.

She looks at me as if she knows that I would scream...I won't okay?!

The palace is gorgeous from outside though.

It was whiter than snow. Maintained perfectly. There were plenty of windows. It was huge. The top of the towers were a calm blue. The gates were shining and looked as if made from real gold. The ground was smooth and grey but not slippery.

The doormen pushed the doors open.

My mouth dropped so fast I swore it touched the floor. It was gorgeous. The pillars were intricately designed and the walls all had a blue and white marble effect on them.

"Close that mouth up or you will catch some flies." Marinette jokes as she pushes my mouth shut for it only to drop again.

She giggled and then started looked around. She must be so happy to be home again. I smiled at her and then continued to admire the palace.

"Why can't daddy have this made for me!?" Chloe complains to Sabrina.

"Oh hush,Chloe." Ms. Bustier tells Chloe and then continues to take in the beauty of the castle.

"Now, I certainly do hope that you guys want to look at the rest of the castle and not only the entrance. What are your thoughts about the Throne Room?" Zayn asks.

"PLEASE TAKE US!" Rose and Mylene reply enthusiastically.

We all chuckle and then are lead by the royals to a room with huge doors once again.

The doors are pushed open and I am speechless.

There are three thrones. I'm guessing for the king,queen and Marinette. It has a large complex crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling. It is huge and there is a velvet carpet till the chairs from the door we are standing near.

"Okay guys! I'm letting you sit on the thrones one by one." Lucas says.

Everybody grins and runs towards the seats. I just link my arms with Marinette's and we walk till them. One by one our friends sit on whichever throne they want to. I sit on Aunty Sabine's and click a few pictures. Last but. It least, it's Marinette's turn . She walks gently and takes her own throne. She feels the velvet on the throne and I'm guessing she is nostalgic. I see her eyes briefly glance the king's throne as she would be sitting there when she becomes queen. She smiles and then gets up.

Adrien's P.O.V.:

Why did Marinette of all people have to sit with the royals?! I don't even know why I'm feeling something burn inside me. It's fine now.

"Your princess is actually sitting on the princess's throne. Wow." Plagg whispers from my jacket to tease me.

I swat at him and then whisper,"It does suit her."

She gets up and then joins Alya. While she passes by me, our arms brush and blood rushes to my cheeks.

"Dude...you okay? You look redder than Nathanaël's hair!" Nino laughs at me.

"Haha." I laugh sarcastically. "I'm fine." I tell him.

"Okay now! Girls and boys, please follow me so that I can escort you to your rooms." Lucy smiles.

We all follow her.

Marinette's P.O.V.:

It felt so good sitting on my throne again. It kind of scares me to think about sitting in Dad's chair...but it's a good kind of scary you know?

"Okay, each room in the palace will be for you guys to be in individually. You may visit each other in the other's rooms at any time. You can obviously stay over in any of your rooms. Now...can I talk to one of you guys?" Lucy looks around.

Before Chloe can raise her hand...

"You! Yes you, Marinette! May I please speak to you?" Lucy picks me. No surprise there!

I walk with her till the end of the hallway.

"Was I too professional? Not professional enough? Maybe I was too strict? Or not enough? I should apologise !" She keeps babbling on.

I grab her shoulders and shake her," Lucy you were perfect! Just loosen up a little!"

"Okay...I can do that ." She smiles sheepishly and I giggle.

We both go back to my class and she assigns us our rooms. I, obviously, get my original room...no one knows that though.

Lucy opens the door for me and I run and jump on my bed. As soft as ever. My room is the biggest in the palace. My bedsheets are a sky blue with royal blue accents and then my walls are white with a blue ombré effect. Before I can shut the door to my room, Alya comes running inside.

"Girl! The luggage is late! I need to borrow some stuff from your closet please?" Alya asks me.

"Does she know about the whole princess deal?" Lucy quirks an eyebrow at me.

"She knows alright." I tell her.

"Eek! A girl I can finally talk to...who I think will _listen_ to me." Lucy shoots at me.

"Damn girl! Don't you ever listen to these people? First your mom and now Lucy! You should really listen!" Alya lectures.

I roll my eyes and say," Alya...I am facing the same situations that they are! I relate to them! You don't...which makes you the telling target." I explain.

" _Right..."_ Alya replies.

"You know what? I think I will rant to you later Alya! For now let me give you two girls some privacy." Lucy bows and leaves my room.

"You didn't _have_ to curtsy!" I call out after her and hear her laugh.

I shake my head and lock the doors.

"So, what did you want Al?" I ask Alya as I tie my hair in a bun.

"Some outfits?" Alya replies.

"Right! Follow me to the closet!" I reply with enthusiasm.

We walk to the end of my room and I press a button that is placed on the wall next to an automatic door. The door opens and we are blinded with sparkly yellow light coming out of the chandelier. As soon as we are able to focus again, I grab Alya's hand and take her inside. Her mouth hits the floor once again as she takes in the beauty of my closet.

"OH.MY.GOD. This is amazing! It's like you're Hannah Montana! This is gorgeous!" She squeals.

I laugh at her childish behaviour and pick up a remote placed on the couch in the middle of the closet.

"Care for a tour?" I ask Alya and smirk.

"Duh." Alya smiles.

Ok then...

I start from our first cabinet on the right.

"Combination 146..." I mumble as I try to remember what grandma had taught me. I press the buttons as per the combination.

The cabinet opens and inside our sunglasses all lined in order from the lightest to the darkest shades.

"Look at these babies!" Alya says as she picks one of them.

"You can borrow any of them if you want to." I say as we move on to the next cabinet.

I press the combination 314 and it opens. Inside, are all the makeup products you could ever imagine. Lipsticks organised by brands and shades. Eye products from order of application. And the rest of the makeup kept neatly. The hair products are kept in a drawer...curling iron, hair curlers, moose, hair straighteners, etc.

Alya is _once again_ speechless.

"Let's keep going." We move onto the next cabinet.

Combination 777 is pressed by my fingers and the cabinet doors pop open showing different tiaras and crowns placed perfectly on crystal stands.

"That is the only thing here you cannot borrow...I might make an exception in your case though." I wink at Alya.

She hugs me," You're the best, Mari!"

"I know." I say.

"And now, my clothes." I say as we move on to the two big doors placed next to the crowns.

Combination 100 is dialled and the doors open.

Inside are thousands of gowns, tops, skirts, shorts, jeans, dresses, shirts, night wear, etc.

"GIRL WHAT THE HELL?!" I guess Alya liked it then.

"So what did you want?" I step inside and observe the casual wear.

"With clothes like these, you don't need to make your own." Alya says as she looks at the shorts section.

"Um...actually...I made some of these." I say as I brush back strands of hair with my hands.

"What?! Mari that is amazing!" Alya hugs me.

"Hehe thanks." I hug back.

"I pick this and this." She says as she takes washed out denim shorts with a white cold shoulder top.

"Go ahead and try it in the fitting room." I point towards the changing rooms.

She runs inside and is out in an instant.

"You look so pretty in it!" I compliment.

"Thanks girl! I'll be going now. See you at dinner!" She hugs me and leaves.

I shut all the cabinets and cupboards and get out of the closet. I hop onto my my bed and doze off to dream about Adrien.

 **A.N.:Hey guys! Eekkk thank you again for 100 followers!! I never thought** ** _anybody_ wouldread my story _. I'm sorry about this late chapter but I have my finals next week._ I may not be able to update weekly but I promise I will after 8th march. I will update once in between though. I hope you don't leave this story because I swear I would NEVER abandon this story. I hope you stay with me and wait for me to update once again. Please review, it makes my day! Xoxo.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: Hey guys! I'm so so so sorry for this very very very short chapter. I did have to study a lot and so couldn't focus on writing this properly. Next update will be in March so I beg you to bear with me. Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy. Check my friend herongraystairs1234 's story out! It's amazing. Please do. Now read.**

Marinette's P.O.V.:

 _"Marinette...I can't be with you after you have lied to me about who you really are." Adrien tells me sadly._

 _"Adrien I was forced to. I'm sorry." I cry._

 _"However hard I try I cannot forgive you. Goodbye." And he walks into nothingness till I can't see him._

 _I'm left on the floor sobbing hard and not bothering to wipe my tears. I transform into ladybug and turn around to see Chat noir._

 _"You are Marinette? I never really liked her. I'm sorry Ladybug but I don't want to be your partner anymore."_

 _"Chat. I'm the princess of Genovia. I'm sorry for not telling you."_

 _"You are? God how can a person keep so many secrets. I need to leave." And he extends his baton and leaps away before I can stop him._

 _Two of the boys I care about have just abandon me. I fall to the floor and cry my eyes out._

Ring ring*

I open my eyes and sit up straight. It was a **dream.** I'm so happy that this wasn't reality but what if it turns out to be?

Ok I'm _terrified now._ It can't be that bad can it? I've seen shows where dreams are all exaggerated... _yeah I'm probably just overthinking._ What time is it anyway? I check my phone and the screen flashes with 7:30pm. Wow I napped for 3 hours.

"Mari? They're calling us for dinner. You up yet?" Alya knocks on my door.

"I'm up all right." I answer her.

"Great! Clean up and meet us in the dining hall. I am sure _you_ know _where_ that is." She tells me and then I hear her feet shuffling away from my door. I sigh and head towards the bathroom to wash my face.

After doing that, I start opening the door to go to the dining hall when,

"Don't you wanna change first?" Tikki tells me.

I look at my outfit that is as crumpled as a paper that was tossed in the trash can. Man that was a good nap!

"You're right Tikki." I enter the closet and open the clothes cabinet with the help of my remote.

"What do you suggest, Tikki?" I ask the little kwami for advice.

"Black?" Tikki suggests.

"Ah black! Black is _always_ right." I dig around and then produce a black criss-cross top and black high waisted shorts with a black and white baseball jacket.

"Perfect!" Tikki approves.

I go into the bathroom and reappear in some time with my outfit worn. Time hides in my jacket and I leave my room. I walk in the hallway and then climb down the steps. My butler comes to me and seeing that I'm alone, bows down.

"Your highness, your new bodyguard is here. Would you like to meet him now?" He asks me.

"I really need to reach the dining hall for dinner right now, John. How about tomorrow afternoon?" I suggest.

"Perfect." He bows and goes off to continue his chores.

I continue walking through hallways and doors till I reach the dining hall. I open the doors and everybody stares at me. _Shoot!_ I'm late **again.** Zayn and Lucas chuckle under their breaths as they are aware of my unpunctuality. James just smiles at me because he knows what it's like to feel awkward when you're late. It's one of the many things we have in common. Lucy just sighs. Alya shakes her head along with Nino. I don't even bother looking at Adrien because I don't need to feel more embarrassed. I just keep my head down and take my seat between Zayn and Alya.

"So...the being late all the time isn't an act?" She smiles at me.

"Nope." I tell her.

"Marinette's always been late." Zayn whispers to Alya.

"Zayn by the way." Zayn extends his hand to shake Alya's.

Before he can flash his teeth in an attempt to flirt I cut in," Don't even bother Zayn."

"Feeling jealous, darling?" Zayn holds my hand.

"Hardly." I glare at him and yank it away.

I then notice that I'm sitting right opposite Adrien...and his eyes seem to be fixed on me. Now I'm nervous. Is it the outfit? My hair? Is there something on my face?

"Entré is served." The voice of the waiter cuts through my train of thoughts.

I now realise how hungry I am. My stomach rumbles softly so only Alya and Zayn can hear.

"My my Mari." Alya laughs at me.

"Are you _that_ hungry?" Zayn chuckles.

"Oh stop it you two!" I whisper back.

Nobody can hear our conversation but Adrien always looks kinda tensed when I talk to Zayn. _Weird._

Our Appetizers are placed in front of us. _Ratatouille._ I don't waste time to dig in and by the looks of it, neither do my friends. It's soon over and then a mint sorbet is placed in front of us.

"To cleanse the palate." The waiter tells us.

I scoop a big spoonful and place it in my mouth. Soon my head starts to hurt and I feel very cold. Uh oh. _Brain freeze_. I fan myself as a reflex.

"I guess she didn't realise it was frozen." Zayn states the obvious.

"Let's do the same thing." Alya says and copies me followed by Zayn.

Now here we are...all three of us just slamming the table and flailing our arms to try to get over our brain freezes.

As if this dinner wasn't embarrassing enough.

 **Author's note: I hope you liked this short chapter. Dinner will be continued in the next one. Now I need some suggestions- should Lucas be the sweet one or a flirt? Should he be both? Please PM me your vote and I will frame his character accordingly. Please review so I know that people actually like this story and plus it makes my day. Stay tuned. Xoxo.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note: Hey guys! My exams are over! Here is the next chapter! I will update soon! Now, with majority of the votes, Lucas will be both- flirty and sweet (kinda like Chat Noir). So please review! Now read.**

Marinette's P.O.V.:

After finally getting our brainfreeze under control,the waiters enter once again and announce the serving of our main course, Filet mignon with a pear reduction.

"Did I mention that the pears are a delicacy in Genovia. They are very sweet...just like all you lovely ladies sitting on this table." Zayn comments unnecessarily.

I groan while Alya chuckles at my annoyed state. Zayn just winks and continues to eat. I savour my dish as it is one of my favourite meals. After eating that, we are given another sorbet. Alya, Zayn and I kindly refuse to eat it because of our little accident.

"Dessert is served." Ah the last course of the day.

Butterscotch tarts with a salted caramel sauce served in a little jug is placed in front of us. I drizzle on the caramel on my tart just like I have been doing since I was a baby. Lucas, Lucy and Zayn do the same thing as they have been eating this with me since I've known them. My bakery also serves these tarts...they used to always remind me of home. We added candied pears too. I eat my dessert and then Lucas calls for our attention. Everybody is chatting so nobody really pays attention. I try to help by banging my glass with a knife but it obviously breaks. I certainly have all eyes on me _now._

"It happens all the time. Don't worry." The oldest waiter assures me and collects the broken pieces of glass to dispose them.

I give him a small smile and look at Lucas when he gives s little cough.

"Guys! I just wanted to tell you about the Royal Slumber party. Teen princes and princesses from all over the world gather for a little sleepover each year. That night is tomorrow. I want all of y'all to join us. What do you think?" He asks us.

"We accept. _Duh."_ Alya replies squealing.

"You remember what happened last time don't you?" Zayn whispers to me.

"Don't remind me." I roll my eyes.

Well let's just say that someone...kind of... _crashed_ the party.

The whole class was very excited about the sleepover

"Well, then you guys will get the details later on. You may leave the hall if you please." Lucas smiles and leaves.

We were finally dismissed and allowed to go to our rooms if we were sleepy. I wished Alya goodnight and I went to my room...but I wasn't planning on sleeping.

"I'm going to meet Luna after so long Tikki!" I tell Tikki excitedly when I'm in my room.

"Luna, the moon goddess...?" Tikki asks.

"No silly! Luna is my horse. I've had her since she was a foal." I tell her.

"Oh! Where are you riding to?" Tikki asks curiously.

"I'm just going out in the woods." I reply.

"In the woods?! At 8 in the evening?! That is dangerous you know?" Tikki warns me.

"It's really not. I've done this many times, trust me." I go in the closet and come out with my horse-riding outfit.

It's a pair of black jeans and a belt. For my top, I have a white long sleeve shirt and a brown leather jacket. I open my hair and grab my knee length boots from the shoe cupboard.

"You coming along, Tikki?" I ask.

"I'm sleepy Marinette. Do you mind if I stay back?" She yawns.

"Not at all." I smile and place her on my bed.

I grab a satchel and head out of my room. While going down, I open my hair and swing the satchel across my chest. I look around to make sure nobody sees me. I mean, hey, won't they wonder what their classmate is doing in riding gear in the evening. I reach the kitchen and open the fridge to grab some snacks. I grab some apples and a couple bottles of Sprite. Don't ask. I close the fridge and turn around just to be startled by blue eyes. _Zayn again._

Oh my goodness! Zayn! Are you _stalking_ me?" I accuse.

"Ha! Funny! Me, a _stalker_? Yeah right! I was going to my room when I heard you in the kitchen. You're not exactly subtle ya know?" Zayn teases.

"What?! I'm the definition of _subtle._ I bet you can't even spell subtle." I fold my arms.

"I can!" He sticks his nose up in the air.

"Do it." I challenge.

"Let's not go off topic here. Why are you down here? Oh I know! Sneaking around with Luna?" Zayn changes the topic.

"Maybe. None of your business Zayn." I flick his nose and put the food items in my satchel.

"Want me to come with?" Zayn offers.

"No thanks. I'll be okay. Why don't you go back to your room?" I shoo Zayn away.

"Well, call me if you need me. Bye, darling." He smirks and walks away.

"Don't call me that!" I shout after him.

Now, time to get Luna.

 **Author's note: Hey! I hope you liked that chapter! I'm sorry for it being so short but after being inactive I figured that you guys would want _something._ Well, I will update soon and don't forget to review! Xoxo.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A.N.: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter! I was in a rush so this is not one of my nicer chapters but here it is. I hope you like it! Now read.**

Adrien's P.O.V.:

"Dude! Isn't it great that we have gotten _connecting_ rooms? Near the kitchen too! Now we can have delicious food all the time." Nino babbles on and then goes through the door back into his room.

I sigh and let Plagg out of my jacket. As soon as I sit on the bed, the kwami coughs.

"Forgetting something?" Plagg questions me.

"I don't think so...?" I reply, unsure.

"Camembert! Where is it? I need it. You must find it. My lovely, stinky, gooey Camembert!" Plagg expresses his love.

"Okay okay hold on. How am I supposed to get you cheese at this hour in this place?" I ask.

"The kitchen, _obviously."_ Plagg rolls his eyes.

"Ugh. Fine...get in here." I point towards my pocket.

Plagg grins victoriously and flies in. I stand up and start making my way through the door. The kitchen is just a couple of doors away and I don't want anybody to see me, so I tiptoe my way there.

"Anyone who sees you will think of you as a ballerina." Plagg snicker.

I cough, embarrassed, and walk normally. Once I'm about to go in the kitchen, I hear some noises and duck to hide behind the counter. I peek from the corner and see Marinette talking to **Zayn.** That guy makes my blood boil when he talks to Marinette. I don't even know why!

I can't figure out what they're talking about. Obviously, Zayn must be flirting. They look so comfortable talking to each other. Like they've known each other for years. Zayn then leaves through the door and Marinette picks up her bag.

I notice that Marinette is dressed as if going somewhere. My mother used to wear those kind of clothes when she used to take me horse riding. She was amazing at it! But she usually rode her horse in order to release her stress.

Marinette's hair is down. She looks so cute. Blood comes rushing to my cheeks and I attempt to cool them down. When she is about to leave...

"Marinette?" My stupid mouth can't keep shut.

Marinette's P.O.V.:

After Zayn leaves, I grab my satchel and as I'm about to leave...

"Marinette?" I would recognise that voice anywhere.

 **Adrien Agreste.**

 _What do I do? What do I do? I need an excuse as to why I'm in the kitchen right now. Food run? In these clothes,yeah right. Tell him the truth. Hell no. Not yet. Tell him part of the truth? I don't know. I'll probably just babble out the first thing that comes to my e on Marinette, let's just turn around and face him._

"Ad-Adrien! Um...h-hey! What a-are you doing in the ki-kitchen right now?" I stutter.

Get a hold of yourself Marinette!

"I was just here to grab a snack! What about you?" Adrien asks.

"I was just...uh...," then I don't even know what I babble on.

"I was just going to the stable to get a horse and ride to the forest nearby. The thing is, I went to riding camp last summer and then I never got to ride a horse again! And when would I have the time to ride a horse in Paris? So I took permission from...Zayn! I asked him on the plane and he said yes. He gave me this outfit too!" Wow Marinette! That was a save! I hope my excuse was believable.

"Why were you so secretive though?" Adrien still had his doubts.

"Because...he didn't want me to tell people as then they would want to go too! Now, you can't have teenagers running about an unknown kingdom, can you?" I explain.

"Ah...okay! Do you want me to come with you? I know how to ride horses too." Adrien asks me.

That would be wonderful! The love of my life in the forest...with me...at night...how romantic! But no. I have to visit the Twinkle Hollow. He can't find out about that. So many questions will arise.

"It's fine Adrien! I want some fresh air...that's all. I'll be fine. Don't worry." I smile.

"It is dangerous." He warns.

Why does everybody keep telling me that? It's not. I've been going there since I was little. It is wonderful there.

"I can take care of myself! Now...why don't you get your snacks while I go on my little adventure." I wink.

I can't believe I _winked._ What a creep am I?!

"If you're sure." He laughs and shakes his head and fetches Camembert out of the fridge.

"That stinks." I cover my nose.

"I know." He laughs nervously.

"Well, good night!" I say and get out of the kitchen.

That was so close. Thank god he didn't hear my conversation with Zayn! Did he? Nah I don't think so.

I just keep walking through halls and corridors till I'm finally out, behind the castle. I run towards the royal stable and look for Luna excitedly.

Adrien's P.O.V.:

So that's why she was here in the kitchen! Getting some snacks for her ride! In the forest. At night. What kind of a gentleman am I?! I let her go alone without a fight? I know Mari is capable of taking care of herself but still! I need to watch over her...but I can't... _as Adrien._

Plagg, eat up! We need to transform and make sure Marinette stays safe!" I give Plagg his cheese and instruct him.

"You mean stalk her?" Plagg chuckles.

I groan.

Once he has eaten his Camembert...

"Plagg, Claws Out!" I transform.

It's Chat Noir time.

 **A.N.: Hey guys! I hope you liked this chapter! Marichat is on the way hehe. Oh and did I mention that Marichat is my favourite ship out of the love square! Which one is yours? Don't forget to review! It makes my day! Also, don't forget to check my friend herongraystairs1234 out! Shower her story with follows and favourites please. Stay updated about my story. Xoxo.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Guys I'm sorry I've not updated but I'm currently on vacation. I guess my next update will be next month (quite close). I'm sorry for the delay. Hope you stay tuned though.**

 **Xoxo.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A.N.: Im back!**

Marinette's P.O.V.:

I start looking for Luna in the stables but I can't find her.

"Where is she?" I mumble.

"Where is who?" A voice asks me.

I turn around rapidly and sigh a breath of relief.

Alya.

"Alya you scared the life out of me. Oh my goodness." I say to her.

"Geez. I'm sorry. What are you doing here?" Alya asks.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I ask, curious.

"I asked Lucy if I could explore around the palace and she said yes. When I reached this side of the castle, I spotted these horses and _had_ to take some pictures with them! Here! Look!" She handed me her phone and I started scrolling through the pictures.

"Wow!" The pictures were amazing.

"Okay your turn. What are you doing here?" She asks me.

"Well...I was uh..just...Oh wait a minute! I don't need to lie to you! You know my secret! One lie less to tell phew.. anyways, I was just looking for my horse,Luna. She is the only white horse in the stable. Have you seen her?" I ask hopefully.

"Sorry girl, I haven't." She shakes her head.

"That's fine. They must have placed her in a different spot. I'll just go look for her. You should head back it's getting late." I advise.

"I could tell you the same thing." She replies.

"Ugh. Fine. I'm just gonna go to the forest for a bit." I reply casually.

"At this time?!" Why does everyone keep saying that.

"Yeah yeah, I'll be safe. No, I don't need you to come with me. I'll be fine. Yes, I'll stay careful." I tell her before she can question me.

"I really need to find Luna so...goodnight!" I hug her and leave.

Luna...where are you?

Adrien's P.O.V.:

Green light engulfs me as i transform. Once I'm transformed, I jump out of the kitchen window and climb the roof. There are guards everywhere but I'm Chat Noir. I go all the way to the top and my eyes scan all the land I can see in the search of Marinette.

There she is. Near the stables. Should I spy on her? Isn't that bad? But I'm just ensuring that she remains safe.

I stealthily jump and reach the tree under which she is standing. I hide among the bushes.

"Where are you Luna?" She sighs.

"Who is Luna?" My stupid, big mouth can't keep shut... _again._

Marinette's P.O.V.:

"Who is Luna?"

 _CRAP. Who said that? What am I supposed to do? What if it's a creep hiding in the bushes? Or maybe it's the horses that have started talking? That's so silly. A ghost? I hope not. A monster? Ha! There's nobody that **ladybug** couldn't take on! The voice came from above me though. Lord give me the courage to look up._

I raise my head and look up in the trees where I see glowing green eyes staring at me.

"Gah!" I am startled and fall in the grass.

"Woah woah Princess, are you okay?" The person says.

 _Princess?! Does this guy know?! Oh my god! I'm done for. Surely he knows. Why will someone call me 'princess' otherwise. Oh...Chat calls me princess. CHAT NOIR?! Over here?! In Genovia?!_

I open my eyes to see a concerned Chat Noir in front of me.

"What the heck?! Chat, what in the world are _you_ doing here?!" I blurt.

"Wow. Nice way to greet me." He says sarcastically.

"I think it's reasonable for me to act this way. You startled me and caused me to fall after all." I roll my eyes.

"Not my fault that you're clumsy." He retorts.

"You take that back!" I get up all in his face. That's when I realise that we are just some inches apart.

I cough and step back, blushing.

"Anyways, back to my question. Why are you here?" I ask him.

"Um...well you see...I'm visiting my cousins here!" He tells me.

"Oh okay and why are you _here?_ In the palace?" I ask.

"Oh I was just out for a stroll and you know how the palace is visible from everywhere? So I decided to check it out." He grins.

God this is my house! He just broke into my house! Ok not literally but you get it. Well, not like he hasn't entered my room before.

"Okay...so I guess you need to leave now so bye bye!" I grab his shoulders and spin him around.

"Woah woah. Easy. Why are _you_ here?" He turns back to face me.

"School trip.Now bye!" I spin him once again only for him to turn back around.

"No. I mean what are you doing _here?_ Near the stables. At this time." He asks.

I tell him the same story I told Adrien.

"Okay. Oh, Who _is_ Luna?" Chat asks.

Uh oh.

 **A.N.: Sorry for not updating! And thank you Red Royalty for all your reviews! Xoxo.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A.N.: AAAAH! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 200 FOLLOWS! I never thought that anyone would ever read my fanfiction. I'm really grateful for the people who do. So here's your next chapter! Now read.**

Chat Noir's P.O.V.:

"Who is Luna?" I ask.

I tilt my head in confusion while she bites her lip and just stares at me nervously. Suddenly all of that nervousness is gone.

"Quick-check your face Chat! I think i just found your nose in my business." She pokes me in the chest with her finger.

Feisty.

"Oooh sassy Marinette! I like it!" I grin.

"Anyways, its best if you leave right now. Goodnight! Go away now alley cat! Nothing interesting here." She drags me from where I came.

"Woah woah! Hold up Princess." She stiffens up when I call her that. Weird.

"Who the hell is Luna?" I ask.

"The moon, DUH!" She says.

I don't believe her for a second. I mean, Luna is the name of the moon goddess but of course Marinette wouldn't be finding her. My eyes glance at the moon. It looks beautiful tonight. It reminds me of My Lady's eyes when they sparkle. And her porcelain skin...

snap snap*

"Huh?" I snap out of my daze when Marinette snaps her finger in front of my face.

"Earth to Chat?" She asks.

I blush because of my embarrassment.

"I'm here and I don't believe you. Now be honest and tell me who Luna is." I ask stubbornly.

"Ugh fine! She is a horse here. And I'm finding her." She turns her back towards me to look in the other direction.

"How do you know what she looks like?" I am suspicious.

I see her shoulders tense up before they suddenly relax.

"She is the only white horse in the stables. _That's what Zayn told me okay?"_ She presses on Zayn.

I feel my tail twitch in annoyance by thinking of Zayn flirting with Marinette while talking to her.

"Oh..Come I'll help you look for her." I hold her hand and pull her back.

She yanks her hand away and crosses her arms.

"Come on! You need your night in shining armour (leather?) to help you." I tell her.

"I'm no damsel in distress. I can take care of myself!" She replies stubbornly.

She reminds me so much of Ladybug. This is the first time I've seen this side of Marinette. She is always so shy talking to me and now where is all this confidence coming from?

"No doubt about that. Watch your step!" I grab her before she can trip by a stone.

"You can _totally_ take care of yourself." I shake my head and chuckle. If only he knew...

Marinette coughs, embarrassed.

She won't let me tag along. Well, I guess I'll just have to follow her then.

"And don't follow me!"

"Okay princess. I deem you capable of handling yourself. I'll take my leave now. Au revoir." I kiss her soft hand and climb the tree.

I extend my baton and reach the top of the castle.

Thinking I'm gone, she continues to look for Luna.

Marinette's P.O.V.:

He left... _finally._ Where is she? I pull my phone out from my satchel and dial Zayn.

No answer ugh.

I call Lucy and her phone is switched off.

Ugh.

I call Lucas and the angel picks my call up.

" _What's up Mari? I'm really sleepy now so make this quick mi amoré."_

Do _you_ need to flirt at a time like this? Anyways, where's Luna?" I ask.

" _We kept her in another separate stable stall. It's near the oak tree we used to climb on. Now goodnight and goodbye mare bear."_ He hangs up.

I roll my eyes but I'm still thankful for the information he gave me. Aaah that oak tree...so many memories. That was where I would go whenever I felt sad. It was my place. My friends and I used to go there and enjoy the fireworks. I wish I could climb it now. Anyways, no time for that. Let's go to the tree.

I spot the oak tree and jog towards it. And there it is...the stable that has Luna.

When I'm walkin towards it I can't help but feel someone following me. Luna sees me and neighs pulling me out of my thoughts.

Calling Luna beautiful would be an understatement. She was one of the best and fastest horses in Genovia. She had the finest of white fur which glistened even in the dark showing me that she had been taken care of. She had a calm demeanour compared to other horses.

I run towards her stall and nuzzle my face against her. She bows her head down to my shoulder like she's hugging me.

"How I've missed you." I whisper to her.

Suddenly, I hear something in the bushes.

Chat Noir's P.O.V.:

Stupid rock! Made me tumble into the bushes. Oh no. Marinette's making her way over here.

 _Look! A bunny!_ I hear Plagg's voice in my head.

Now is not the time to pet it! Oh wait!

I pick the bunny up and make it go through the bush.

Marinette sighs in relief thinking it was the bunny that made the noise. Phew.

Marinette's P.O.V.:

Just a bunny. Thank god. That was terrifying. I look back at Luna and see her moving excitedly. I run towards her and unlatch the door. I grab her saddle and pull her out. She lets me climb on top of her and I'm ready for action.

We kick off fast heading towards the gates. The guards see me but let me go as they know who I am. They bow down and I nod my head in appreciation. I take the right to enter the forest and can smell the fresh greenery. How beautiful.

Chat Noir's P.O.V.:

The guards just let her through _like that?!_ What is up with the security in this place?!

She takes a sharp turn and goes into the forest. I climb on the tree and look from there. She starts going in all these directions like she knows where she is going. She's going faster! oh no too fast! My foot slips and I fall off the branch.

She turns around,startled.

"Chat Noir?! You followed me?!" Marinette gets off Luna and makes her way towards me with her arms crossed.

"You wouldn't believe I got lost in the trees, would you?" I smile nervously.

"I'm not _that_ stupid! I told you not to follow me and what did you do? Follow me! Ugh." She stomps her foot frustratedly.

Marinette's P.O.V.:

Stupid cat! I can't go to the twinkle hollow tonight then.

"Let's go back." I tell him and start walking towards Luna when he grabs my arm gently.

"No no. I'm sorry for ruining your trip and I'm not gonna let you leave this forest without you having fun!" He exclaims.

What has this cat gotten planned?

A.N.: Thank you again! And I needed to get your opinion on this guys- should I publish short chapters (500-600 words) twice a week or 1k words once a week? Leave a review! Love ya! Xoxo.


	14. Chapter 14

**A.N.: Hey guys! Sorry for the late update. Needed ideas! I'm back now and you have a new chapter! I hope you like it! Now read.**

Marinette's P.O.V.:

"What do you mean _you're not gonna leave without me having fun_?" I asked confusedly.

Chat just grinned and grabbed my hand.

"You'll see!" He replied while pulling out his baton.

"I don't like the idea of using that stick around here. We're in a forest! Grab any other stick!" I state.

 _What is he thinking? Using his baton? I'm trying to be discreet here! What if someone spots the princess with a superhero?! Oh the paparazzi would have a field day with this!_ My mind races.

"Well my fair maiden, do other _sticks_ have games?" He slides the top half of his baton to reveal a screen with a green background along with many apps.

"You've got Talking Tom? How ironic Chat." I chuckle.

"You just _had to_ notice that, right?" He rolls his eyes but smiles.

He suddenly wraps his arm around my waist.

"Do other sticks do _this?"_ He extends his baton and hoists us above the trees.

"What the heck you dumb cat?! A warning would have been nice!" I scoff.

"Calm down, you aren't scared of heights are you?" He asks.

 _Only if you knew._ I laugh inwardly and shake my head.

"Good." He extends his baton further and we go higher.

"How can you even balance us?" I ask him.

"What can I say? I'm a cat. Anyways, from up here we can see the whole forest. Let's spot some fun activities for us now!" He grins excitedly.

 _He is adorable when he acts like this...HOLD UP! Adorable?! Chat?! When did I see him as 'adorable'?! I mean he is cute...WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH MY BRAIN?!_

 **It isn't your brain Mari! It's your heart..**

 _Shut up conscience! Let me be! Stop giving me all this non sense!_

Mari are you ok? You seemed tense there."

I'm snapped back to reality only to notice Chat's face inches away from mine. My eyes widen and I feel the blood rush to my cheeks. Oh my god...i hope he doesn't notice that I'm blushing which I'm pretty damn sure I am.

"Your face seems red and hot! Do you have a fever?" He asks with concern lacing his voice.

 _Phew! Thank god for this boy's obliviousness!_

Nah I'm fine!" I squeak.

"If you say so." He continues looking for things to do.

"When are we gonna return to earth?" I ask him once my blush clears up.

"We aren't that far away from ground!" He laughs and shakes his head.

"No need to be scared. You said you aren't afraid of heights!" He quirks his eyebrow.

"I'm not! I'm just worried for Luna down there. She doesn't get to see two people this high in the air with the help of what she can only assume is a stick everyday, you know?" I say sarcastically.

Chat looks at my face for what seems like forever.

"What?" I ask.

"You're cute." He smiles and keeps looking.

I don't know why that comment makes me react this much! He says things like this all the time when I'm Ladybug! Why does he get such a reaction when he says things like these to Marinette?!

"Got it!" He exclaims, pulling me out of my thoughts.

He retracted his baton and we slowly started returning back to earth. Once my feet hit the ground, I moved away from him causing him to release my waist.

"So what did you spot?" I ask.

He laughs heartily and then whispers," It's a surprise."

He finishes with a smirk and holds my hand pulling me towards Luna.

 _His hand feels nice. It's warm. My hand fits in his perfectly. I wish I could hold it forever. WOAH WOAH WOAH. Chill Mari!_

What are you waiting for? Get on, princess." He says.

Oh we reached Luna.

I hold up our tangled hands and cough.

"Oh." He grins sheepishly and leaves my hand.

It feels cold now ugh! I just shake my head and get on Luna.

"What are you doing?" I ask him when he mounts himself up behind me.

"You don't suppose that you're the _only one_ who knows how to ride a horse around here. Do you?" He smirks confidently and suddenly tugs on the belt and we're off.

"Which way are we even going?!" I ask as I grip the saddle.

"Straight ahead."

Ok then...the breeze feels nice. It feels cool against my face and I just close my eyes and sigh blissfully. I missed Genovia.

After about 10 minutes Luna comes to a halt.

"Don't open your eyes yet!" He warns.

 _What?! I don't even know where we are and I'm not supposed to open my eyes?! What if this dumb cat just got us lost?!_

Why not?"

"Didn't I tell you that this was a surprise?" He replies.

Dang he's smooth.

I feel him get off Luna.

"Hey! At least help me get off my horse! I can't see remember? I might just fall down!" I complain.

 _Well, I could probably even do that with my eyes open._

Of course ma'am." He picks me up and puts me down.

He holds my hand again and it feels nice.

"Lead the way." I smile.

He pulls me and we run for two minutes.

"Open your eyes." He says.

I open my eyes and... OH HELL NO.

We're at the waterfall. Behind which...is FRICKING TWINKLE HOLLOW.

"Wow Chat...uhhh...why are we here?" I ask nervously.

He looks at me in confusion and then answers,"We can dip our feet in water and I can get to know you!" He says and then gives me a smile.

Phew...I sigh in relief and return his smile.

This might be fun.

 **A.N.: Hello you wonderful people! Some of you reviewed and messaged me thinking I've abandoned this story haha. I might need some more time so please don't give up on me because I won't give up on this story so easily. Don't forget to review! Love ya, Xoxo.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A.N.: Hello guys! I'm so sorry for the late update but I had to write this whole chapter thrice! I don't know why but it just didn't save the first two times. Well, here's your chapter and I hope you like it. Now read.**

Marinette's POV.:

We head towards the edge of the lake and sit down on the grass border. The wind nipped at my skin, tickling my neck. As I'm untying my shoes, I realise that Chat can remove his boots! And I don't even have any when I'm transformed. What if our roles were reversed here? I wouldn't be able to have my feet bare right now.

"Hey! How come you get shoes and Ladybug doesn't?" I can't help but ask.

"I guess I'm lucky even though I'm the black cat," He chuckles."you noticed?"

I snort and say," That's what you get for being best friends with the owner of the Ladyblog."

I mentally high five myself for that good save.

"Is _this_ seriously the topic right now?" He rolls his eyes.

What? I think it's pretty damn important.

"Problem?"

Chat shakes his head and dips the tip of his toe in the water only to yelp and retract it back with a jolt.

"Cold! Cold cold cold! The water is cold! Really really cold! Brrr." He shivers.

I roll my eyes at him and laugh heartily.

"Chat...wait for a while. Put your feet in and wait. Everything will be alright." To prove my point I swing my feet into the water and squeal.

The water is chilling but I know I will get used to it after some while. This is the place with the clearest water I have ever seen. You can see right through it to the bed of the lake. There are no fishes here for some strange reason. It's probably the effect of the twinkle hollow.

"Hey, I want to swim around for a bit. Coming?" He asks.

"In this temperature? I think not." I deadpan.

The truth is that I don't want the pixies to sense my presence and come fluttering out of Twinkle Hollow. Can you imagine that? Magical creatures just flying everywhere excitedly and then there would be Chat...just frozen...he might have a heart attack. I silently laugh at the thought of him falling into water from shock.

"Actually, you're right. Too cold for a dip. Ooh look! A waterfall! I've always seen caves behind those things in movies! Let's check it out!" He grins, his eyes full of excitement.

The waterfall? The _waterfall? **THE WATERFALL? Oh hell no.**_

Um...how about no?" I laugh nervously.

"Why not?" He presses.

"I have...um...you see,...I have a phobia!" I blurt out.

 _A phobia? Seriously? Is that even a real thing. Must be._

"Okay...? Well, you can stay here and I'll go check it out." He smirks and turns around to leave.

"Hold up! Wait! No!" I get up on my feet and turn him back towards me.

"Come on! It'll be fun! Let's go!" He starts walking when I pull on his arm.

Yup. That was a _bad_ move. As soon as I tug on his arm, he stumbles back, sending us both in the lake. I freeze as I'm swallowed underwater, processing what the hell just happened. I'm in the water...because I did not want to go in the water. _What am I? Stupid?_ As soon as I snap out, I swim up to the surface and start spluttering. When I grab a hold of myself, I notice Chat floating and looking at me with a tilt of his head. That's when I realise our close proximity. We are literally inches apart. Suddenly his hands are around my waist and I find myself craving his heat. And then this guy's eyes flicker to my lips. And then he's leaning in. I'm pretty sure that it's just all because of being caught up in the moment that I find myself leaning in as well. Just before our lips could brush against each other, I catch something from the corner of my eye.

It's a pixie. Uh oh.

So I do the most logical and smart thing I could think of at that time. I grab Chat's shoulders and _dunk_ him into the water. After that, I shake my head furiously at the pixie who luckily gets the hint and goes back into the hollow. I sigh in relief and then remember that I'm drowning my partner. I instantly release my hold and he comes jumping out of the water and tries to breathe normally. He coughs and splutters and I pat him on his back.

Great job, Mari! You almost killed the boy. But I didn't! So I'm not that stupid of a person. Right? _Right? Of course not._

When Chat finally grabs a hold of himself, his head snaps to me.

"What the hell?! Why did you do that?!"

"What do you mean 'why'?! You almost kissed me!" I accuse.

I mean that was part of the reason.

"Oh please. If anything, you were the one who came onto me." The conceited jerk replies.

Honestly, I had forgotten that Chat even had a cocky and a smartass side along with the sweet and helpful one. Well, nothing lasts forever.

"And why would I _ever_ do that?" I retort.

"Well, because you're a girl. And girls can't resist a hot guy." He claims.

"The theory might be true, but where's the hot guy?" I huff.

"Okay princess, just so you know, if ladies saw what's under this suit, the nation's female population would considerably go down."

"You're right, after seeing all of _that,_ they would claw their eyes out and die." And with that, I swim towards land and pull myself out of the water. I start wringing the water out of my hair and look at Chat to see that my remark had wiped the smirk right off his face. I mentally congratulate myself for the victory. Now, he realises that I'm not going to be drooling over him like the rest of the girls.

I can't help but feel smug when he swims back in defeat and sits beside me.

"I'm impressed. I didn't know you had that side to you Mari." He nods.

"Chat, you don't even know me."

"Well, I have a feeling that's going to change."

"In one night? Yeah sure, what are we going to do, play 20 questions?" I scoff.

He looks at me with wide eyes and then nods his head sheepishly. Oh my God, I guessed correctly. I giggle at him and then agree.

"Fine. Shoot."

"Favourite colour?" He asks.

So he's starting easy. Alright.

"Being an aspiring fashion designer, I love all colours but if I had to pick one...probably emerald green." I say thinking of not only Adrien's eyes but also Genovia's flag.

When I was younger and lived in Genovia, the colour that was used in all the festivals and on occasions was emerald green. The festivals made me happy and so I loved emerald green. Of course Adrien's eyes being the same colour was a bonus.

He nods and then it's my turn to ask a question I've been wondering since we met.

"How old are you?"

I was hoping he wasn't a 10 year old kid or a creep in his late twenties.

"Just turned 17." He answered shrugging.

Oh, so almost the same age as me.

"Favourite movie?" He asked.

"Titanic."

He scoffs and mutters,"Classic."

"Hey! I take personal offence for that! Young Leonardo DiCaprio was to die for." I cross my arms.

"Okay okay _, Rose._ Let's carry on with the game."

And just like that, I got to know some interesting things about Chat Noir. Who would've guessed that the guy is a fan of Harry Potter like me?!

When I accused him of lying he said," I'm _dead Sirius."_

And I was like,"Too far buddy. Too far."

And then he said,"Don't be Riddikulus!"

And then I laughed and believed him. And then asked him what he thought about the second one and then he said," Well, the second one _petrified_ me."

And then we moved on to the last question because I was done with the puns for the night.

He asked,"So, how did it feel trying to kiss the hottest boy in Paris?"

After seeing a smirk on his face I let out a cry of frustration and yelled,"For the love of God, **IT WAS YOU WHO TRIED!** "

He just doubled in laughter and leaned back with tears in his eyes. He liked infruriating me to no point, didn't he?

When I opened my mouth to tell him off, a yawn escaped my mouth and Chat noticed that I was a little sleepy.

"I think we've had enough fun tonight. Let's get you back to your room." He whispered and got up.

I just nodded sleepily and took the hand he had reached out for me. We walked back to Luna and got on top of her. Chat rode her back to the castle in comfortable silence.

"Where do you want me to drop you?" He asked when we were back at the stable.

"I'll walk from here. No problem." I assured him.

He was about to leave when he turned and asked,"How did you get out without the guards stopping you?"

 _Because I'm the princess and they obey whatever I say._

"I had some help from Zayn." I shrugged casually.

His jaw clenched at the mention of Zayn but then he covered it up with a smile.

"Okay. Well, I best get going Princess. But this is not the last time I'll see you here in Genovia." And then with a salute, he was gone.

I bid Luna goodbye and headed towards my room. Once I'm in, I change into my nightwear and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the bed I'm out.

 **A.N.: Hey y'all! I hoped you liked this chapter! I tried to make it longer for you guys. What was your favourite part about this chappie? Don't forget to review! Xoxo.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A.N.: IM SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE. I had tests coming up and couldn't find time to write. But here I am with your next chapter. I hope you enjoy it! Leave a review! Don't be a silent reader. Now read.**

 _Poke._

"Go away." I mumbled into my pillow.

 _Poke. Poke._

"I swear I will kill you once I wake up." I dig my face deeper into my pillow hoping it'll protect my cheek from getting poked again.

 _Poke. Poke. Poke._

That's it!

I sit straight and without missing a beat, throw my pillow at the face of the person who woke me up.

"Argh!" The idiot replies and gets the pillow off his face.

"Zayn, do you have a death wish yet?" I crack my knuckles.

"Woah! Stop. It wasn't my idea to wake you up. It was his." He points at Lucas who was hiding behind Zayn.

Lucas waved sheepishly at me and I glare at him.

I roll my sleeves," Step right up Lucky."

I had names for all of them. Zayn's was 'Zee' and he hated it because and I quote,'makes him sound like a girl which he obviously isn't.' And then he gestured to all of his body.

Lucy was 'Lula' because she was really quirky and very silly. And she had called Luna 'Lula' when she was a baby and couldn't pronounce it.

James was 'Janice' because I just loved teasing my cousin. And his first girlfriend was also called Janice, and he had later regretted ever liking her. I don't blame him, he was 5. Chloe seemed like an angel in front of her. Yeah..she was _that_ bad. I still hate her to be honest...and I don't even feel bad about it.

And finally, Lucas was called 'Lucky' because he had always had luck on his side. He also had a teddy bear that he had named Lucky who he still had. I find it really cute but what kind of best friend would I be if I didn't annoy the hell out of him.

I was called 'Mare-bear' by Lucas, because I was the one who gave him the teddy.

'Marshmallow' by Zayn because I was 'sweet' and looked 'delicious'. Yeah, the guy makes me cringe as well. I didn't mind the name, Zayn was a good friend and a sweet guy when he wanted to be. He had his moments.

'Muffin' by Lucy because that's how we became friends. Lucy had shared her chocolate muffin with me at the first royal banquet all of us attended.

James called me 'Bubbles' or 'Bubs' because I had an obsession with bubbles when I was younger. My dear cousin just stuck with the name. But bubbles _are_ awesome.

Royal banquets were held every 3 years. Royals from all kingdoms must attend it. There was a dinner, a dance and an after party. People would discuss all sorts of topics. While my parents were talking to Lucy's about politics, I had gotten bored. Lucy noticed this and dragged me away. My stomach grumbles and she revealed a muffin. We shared it and **BAM!** A strong friendship was in force.

"You're scaring me woman! Calm down." He said trying to disappear behind Zayn who also gulped.

"You both should specially know that I hate to wake up before I'm supposed to. Do you need a reminder of what happened last time, boys?"

They both backed up and covered their faces. Last time, I had punched them both smack dab on the nose as a punishment for waking me up.

Zayn coughed and Lucas shook his head.

I finally decided to let my grudge go because I wasn't going to fall asleep now anyway.

"Give me a minute." I said and walked into my bathroom to brush and wash my face.

After doing that, I plopped myself back on my bed and looked at them, waiting.

I stared at them.

They stared back.

"Well?! Why did you wake me up?" I asked.

"Oh! about that. I hope you remember about the slumber party tonight." Lucas spoke up.

Oh..the slumber party..

I would finally get to see some more of my friends after these years. Well, with seeing friends also came seeing the wicked b*tch of the west. I'll handle her though, I always do.

"What about it?" I mumble.

"Your father sent over some contracts to the kingdoms. The princes and princesses are to socialize with you as if they don't know you. They may talk to you normally when you're alone." Zayn says in a monotone.

"Wow, robot much?" I flick his nose.

"It took me time to learn that alright? The least you can do is appreciate it." He huffs.

"Thank you _kind sir_!" I say dramatically.

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit." Zayn tuts.

"Take that back this instant!" I gasp and Lucas nods in agreement.

"Anyways, that's the detail on the slumber party. You can go back to snoring now." Lucas shrugs.

"I do not snore!" I shriek.

"And how would _you_ know that?"

Good point.

I groan in defeat and drop my head in annoyance.

"Anyway, we need to go back before your classmates wake up. Bye bye _Your Highness."_ And they bow mockingly.

I smack their faces with my pillows and pick up my phone to see the tim- 6am?!!

" _6am?!_ Couldn't you wait for a couple of hours?!" I shout.

"Sorry!" And they rush out of my room.

Zayn comes back and says," By the way the butler wanted me to tell you that you need to meet with your bodyguard at 10am. _The Queen's orders."_ He emphasises on the part with my grandma.

"The butler had a name, y'know? It's John. He's been taking care of us since we were kids. And Grandma is back from India?" I ask.

My grandmother was not your typical queen. She was not a regular queen, she was a cool queen. Yes, that was a Mean Girls reference.

Grandma was a free spirit. She didn't believe in stereotypes. I remember my grandmothers dying her hair blue once because one of her friends dared her to. Granny and her friends are still pretty close.

My grandmother was the person who inspired me the most. Still is. She's been skydiving, deep sea diving, swimming with sharks, flying a plane, and all of the fun stuff.

Heck, she even went for pole dancing lessons with her girlfriends when she was in her youth. Age is just a number though because I bet you she would do it all again if you ask her to.

She says I'm her favourite grandchild (Sorry James), and loves and treats all my friends like her grandchildren. My grandmom had recently gone on a trip to see all the 7 wonders. Her last stop was the Taj Mahal and now I'm guessing she's back.

"Yup. Your grandmother flew back in this morning. She's in her quarters checking her Instagram. God, she makes me feel like I'm living in the old times." He chuckles fondly and then runs out of my room when he notices that I still have a pillow in my hands which could _accidentally_ hit his face on purpose.

Once my door is shut, I sigh and look for Tikki.

"Tikki? Where are you?" I call for her.

"I'm here, in the cookie tin!" Her muffled voice calls from the cookie tin on my drawer.

I roll my eyes and pop open the lid to find my kwami in her cookie heaven.

Tikki Is sprawled on top of the chocolate chip cookies while munching on an oatmeal one. Wow, I've never seen her eat any other cookies except the chocolate chip ones.

"Why haven't you eaten the chocolate ones yet?" I frowned.

"I'm just saving the best for last. Gotta make sure that's the last taste on my tongue!" She replied cheerfully and shoved the last bit of her oatmeal cookie in her tiny mouth.

"Now it's your turn my loves." She sighed dramatically and popped the chocolate chip cookie in her mouth.

She moaned in pleasure leading me to chuckle at her antics.

"Well, I'm not getting sleep now. So you enjoy your cookies and I'll enjoy my shower." I place the tin on the desk and head to my closet.

I pressed combinations on the remote and strolled in the clothes section. I had to admit, it did feel pretty cool. It's like I had my own mall. Which I did... It was a gift from the Mayor. I was pampered but that didn't mean I wasn't grateful. I didn't ask for this life, I just accepted it.

I start looking around for a nice outfit which says casual and doesn't scream PRINCESS but still an appropriate outfit for a meeting.

I settle on an oversized pastel pink sweater that falls off my shoulders paired with black jeans. I grab my lace up black boots that are heeled and head into the bathroom. I place the items on the counter and strip to get into the shower.

After 10 minutes of my warm shower, I dress up and walk into my room untying my hair. I stand in front of the mirror and try to decide what to do with the huge mess on my head that's called my hair.

I grab a brush and get the knots out. After settling on a high ponytail, I lace up my boots and check up on Tikki.

I peak inside the metal tin of cookies to see that she had fallen asleep. I smile and scoop her up in my hands and place her next to my bed on a cushion. Her eyes flutter as if she's about to wake up but I tell her to sleep and that I'm going to go fulfil my princess duties. She nods in understanding and falls back asleep.

I grab my phone and check the time. 6:55 am.

 _Ugh. It's still so early._

I pocket my phone and exit my room, shutting the door. I walk through the corridors smiling at the maids that curtsy.

Honestly, it makes me feel hella uncomfortable. I'm just a human being..bowing and bending isn't going to make me feel better and mightier about myself but I have learned to appreciate the gesture.

As I'm turning around a corner, I bump into somebody.

 _James._

A very excited James. He's buzzing of energy and it's making me feel very weak comparatively.

"Why are you so happy Janice?" I ask as I fix my hair.

"Grandma is making waffles!" He grins and then flicks me on the forehead for what I called him.

I roll my eyes at him but then sigh happily as I think of food.

I imagine myself in a waffle float just swimming in a lake of maple syrup with a jar of Nutella in my hands.

James shakes me out of my fantasies and looks at me weirdly.

Then that look changes into shock.

Then disbelief.

"Holy shit! You're awake! Who is the unfortunate soul that's dead now because you killed them?" He gasps dramatically.

I shake my head at him.

"Lucas and Zayn aren't dead yet but they will be if they keep waking me up." I huff and look up at James.

"Dude why are you dressed like that?" I ask once I take his ridiculous outfit in.

He was wearing an Eiffel Tower print t-shirt with black jeans that had the word PARIS under both pockets. He had shoes with mini croissants printed on them and was wearing sunglasses on his head just like the ones I had made for Jagged Stone. Yup the ones with the huge Eiffel Towers.

"You look like a hot mess. And no not the nice type of hot. Just a mess. Did you bang into a souvenir shop or something?" I ask struggling not to laugh at him.

"I'm just trying to impress your friends from Paris. Jeez! It's no big deal. No need to be so mean about it Cuz!" He pouts and the giggles escape my lips.

The giggles turn into hysterical laughter. I get a hold of myself, wipe my tears and look at James only to start laughing hard again.

He rolls his eyes and shakes his head waiting for me to finish my laughter. Once I'm done, I grab his arm and start pulling him up to his room which was just a few doors away.

"Where are we going Bubs?" He asked.

"Your room to get you out of that outfit and into a new one. You'll never impress Lucy with that." I flash him a knowing grin and he blushes and looks away.

"I don't like her that way."

"And I'm punctual." I drawl sarcastically.

I open his door and drag James into his room and towards the closet. I hand him his remote from the counter and he punches in a code which opens a door to his clothes.

Or should I say the Bermuda Triangle.

IT WAS A MESS IN THERE.

I bet he wouldn't be able to find half the things in there that he owned.

As though reading my mind he says," It was cleaner yesterday, I swear."

I glare at him with a look that says _I don't believe you_ and then focus back to the clothes.

I crack my knuckles for effect.

 _Let the hunt for clothes begin._

 **A.N.: Yeah sorry to disappoint with the chapter guys. I just had to write something out. Hope you liked this even though it felt like crap. See you next time lovelies! Xoxo.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A.N.: Thanks for the 200 favs and 250 follows. Love y'all. Here's the next chappie. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to review so that I know if you like it or not. Now read.**

"No need to be dramatic." James called out while he leaned against the wall.

"Don't kill my vibe." I said.

I stepped into his closet trying not to crush any clothes on the _floor._ I look up to see clothes hanging from the _ceiling!_

"James, what the heck?!" I say.

"I don't even know how it ended up like this."

"We will have to clean this up. But first, let me find you an outfit." I browse through his clothes.

 _Score!_

I pick up some denim jeans. I debate between a v-neck and a button up.

V-necks look very hot on guys. He's my cousin so none of that would effect me anyway but Lucy...Lucy liked V-necks.

Button up shirts look very classy. He will look princely if he tried. And when you roll the sleeves up... _ding ding ding! We have a winner._ Lucy _loves_ rolled sleeves.

I shove the clothes into James' hands and tell him to guide me to the shoes section. He shrugs and leads the way.

He presses a combination on the remote an- _EW._

I cover my nose with my hands and try not to pass out by inhaling this poisonous scent.

"Oops wrong code. Those are gym socks." He chuckle nervously and shuts the drawer.

"Gym socks?! They could be used as stink bombs!" I let my hands return to my side and take a look at his shoes once he punches in the code.

"At least your shoes are in a decent condition." I say as I pluck out some black boots.

"Here. Wear your clothes and shoes and then meet me in your room. If you really need sunglasses, get aviators." I hand him the shoes.

"What ever you say _your highness."_ He bows down and I smack him on the head.

I walk out of the closet and lie down on his soft bed. I remember when we were younger, we used to share a bed after watching a horror movie. Well, I was alright, James used to cower. He hated scary stuff. I loved the genre.

"Okay, how hot do I look Bubbles?" He says as he turns for me in his outfit.

"Gorgeous Janice. Lucy will be swooning!" I tease and watch him blush.

"Let it go." He looks away.

"Can't hold it back anymore!" I sing and laugh.

"Wanna meet grandma?" He asks while he opens the door for me.

"Let's go." We walk out of his room teasing each other and just talking about Paris.

"I heard there were superheroes in Paris! Is it true?" He asks suddenly.

Oh god. I should have seen this coming. Quick act natural Mari.

"Yup. They're called Ladybug and Chat Noir." I say casually.

"That is _so cool!"_ He jumps like a kid.

"Yes it is."

"Have you been rescued by them?" He asks curiously.

"Yes I have _been rescued_." I chuckle nervously.

"Wow. How were they?" He asks.

"Heroic. You should talk to Alya about all this! She's the creator of the Ladyblog. It's a blog all about Ladybug and Chat Noir." I drift the conversation to Alya.

"Oh Alya! Isn't she the one that knows about your secret?" He asks while we take a final turn and climb down the stairs.

"The one and only. She's dating Nino. She's my best friend from Paris. Very bubbly and energetic. We get along well. Oh look we're here!" I say as we reach Grandma's room.

James knocks on the door.

"You must knock the password knock!" My grandmother's playful voice comes from inside.

We chuckle and then knock in a pattern. Three soft knocks two hard knocks and then just a single one.

"Come in grandchildren!" She chirps and we open the door.

The sight that greets me is my grandmother in her silk nightgown sprawled on her bed under her blanket with her phone in her hand. She's got a tray of tea next to her and is helping herself with a muffin. She drops the muffin when she sees me and sets her phone down. She slowly gets up from her bed, walking towards me. Her eyes take my appearance in and she puts her hands on my shoulder.

"Marinette. You look gorgeous. You've aged well." She whispers and then hugs me.

"It's been two years granny." I chuckle into her shoulder with tears in my eyes because I missed her so much.

"Two years is a lot. Let me be sentimental. And puberty hit you like a truck, guys must be throwing themselves at you." She says when she pulls back.

I cough and shake my head.

"I wish."

"Well, you look beautiful Mare." She chuckles and then turns to James.

"Oh Jamie, what trouble have you caused in my absence?" She says, her eyes twinkling.

"Not a lot. I just broke this one statue with a basketball, ate that cake for the party before the cutting, and crashed that bike by accident. I'm so sorry grandma." He said and rubbed his neck.

"So the usual." She chuckled and returned to her muffin.

"Grandmaaaa.." I say as I hold out my hand and James does the same thing.

"Alright. You can have my muffins." She rolls her eyes and hands me a chocolate one while James gets the vanilla.

"So how's your class settling in?" My grandma asks sitting on her bed.

"They're pretty excited. I think they're enjoying their time here. My friend Alya is really eager to get on with the slumber party. Speaking of which, who all are coming?" I ask.

Gran picks up a list from her bedside table and hands it to me.

I scan through them smiling at the names that I've not seen in so long. The smile quickly vanishes as I drop the list in my lap and stare at Grandma. More like glaring.

" _Janice?! Lady Janice of Trimeria?_ Why? Why must you do this to me?!" I whine to my grandmother who knows how much I loathe that b*tch.

"Her parents are our dear friends. Of course we had to invite her. She's been coming every year. Why are you so surprised?" She answers.

"I'm not surprised. I'm still in denial about her being a human being. I mean one look at her without the makeup and she won't even qualify for being a Martian. _No offence to her.."_ I say, not serious about the _no offence_ part.

"That's mean Mari. But _savage_!" She high fives me.

"Man. Aren't y'all batshit crazy." James rolls his eyes and laughs.

"You're one to talk Jamie." My grandmother ruffles his hair.

"Just gotta make sure this slumber party doesn't turn out anything like the last one." James sighs.

Oh yeah...remember when I told you someone crashed the last one? That someone was a whole fricking gang. They were sent to kidnap me. I wasn't fazed at all. It wasn't my first time being kidnapped anyway.

I have been kidnapped 7 times in my life. It's fun to beat their asses each time. I'm trained and can defend myself. Definitely helped me as Ladybug. One time, while making my escape, I set a dock on fire. Yeah, don't ask. The funny thing is that I have always been kidnapped along with one of my friends. Lucas. He's my partner in crime. Let me tell you what went down at our last slumber party...

 _I'm pouring myself some punch from the punch bowl while conversing with Jack, Prince of Sandora._

 _"Yeah yeah I totally love school." I say sarcastically when he asks me about school._

 _He smiles in amusement and is about to say something when there's a crash._

 _We both turn around to look towards the entrance where the sound came from._

 _5 dudes with masks and bandanas to cover their faces look around searching for somebody._

 _Who could they be searching for?_

 _I squint my eyes and scan the crowd myself. Suddenly, one of the short, stubby members points at me and says," There she is."_

 _I roll my eyes...of course it's me._

 _I set my glass down and cross my arms looking at them defiantly._

 _"Here I am!" I say dramatically._

 _"Capture her!" He orders his men who come running towards me._

 _"Seriously?!" I say as I kick the man down who tried to hold me._

 _I turn around and punch another one who tried to tie me._

 _Two down, Three to go._

 _As I'm about to defeat the three, one of them fetches a gun from his bag and aims it at me._

 _I drop my hands, knowing not to aggravate a person with a weapon in his hands._

 _"Scared now, are we Princess?" He smirks and grabs hold of my upper arm before tugging on it._

 _"I can walk on my own." I shrug his hands off and he holds my arms behind my back._

 _We start walking towards the door when I see Lucas._

 _"Not planning to get kidnapped without me, are you?" He grins._

 _"Wouldn't dream of it." I smile back._

 _Then I notice he's got a gun on him. It's in his back pocket. I see his hand inching towards it before it is snatched out by one of the gang members._

 _That idiot..._

 _"Seriously Lucas?" I roll my eyes as another guy ties Lucas' hand behind his back and we walk out of the door._

 _"Hey guys? How did you deal with the guards?" I ask the chubby potato holding me._

 _"One of our men is part of the security." He waves me off and leads us to where his car is parked._

 _I don't know about others, but I don't want a road trip at night when I'm in pyjamas._

 _I wink at Lucas as a signal and he nods in response._

 _I turn around and kick the gun out of Potatoman's hand and then push him to the ground while Lucas kicks the guy holding him and pins I'm down with his feet. I flip Potatoman so that he's lying on his back and pick up the gun from the ground that he had dropped. I aim it at his head._

 _I crouch down beside his and pin him by his wrists and say,"Who's the scared one now?" before hitting the gun against his forehead, knocking him unconscious._

 _I turn around to see Lucas having dealt with the other two. I step over the three unconscious men to get to Lucas. I untie him and he calls security._

 _"Good job, Mare. Didn't make it out of the castle this time." He high fives me._

 _"I think I'm gonna go crash now. Tell the others I say goodnight._

 _And then I was escorted to my room by security._

So that's what happened last time.

And I sure hope it doesn't happen again.

 **A.N.: I hope you guys liked this chapter! Don't forget to review! I'll see you guys next time. Xoxo.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A.N.: Guys I'm so sorry for not updating but my exams were going on. Now that they're over, I'm back! This is a short filler chapter I'm so sorry this one sucks. Anyways, I wanted to know if you want me to stick to Marinette's POV or include others as well? Please help me out on that. I hope you like this chapter! Don't forget to review! Now read.**

Marinette's POV:

"Wait..when are you making the waffles?" James asks grandma before his stomach grumbles.

"That would be right now. Meet me in the kitchen." Grandma laughs and head out of her room.

"She's still awesome!" I grin at him.

"Let's get going sis. I need those waffles _now!"_ He shouts and pulls my arm.

He drags me out of the room and down the stairs.

While stepping down, we passed butler John and sent him a salute and he chuckled, shaking his head.

James lead me to the kitchen and we both sat on the counter. Our head chef, Romero, ruffled our hair and made us taste the broth he was working on.

"Great to see you again Princess. We missed you around here." He smiled.

"I missed everybody more. And this broth is out of this world! Could use a bit more salt though." I say and he tastes it himself and nods.

"You're right. Tim, add a few pinches of salt." He hollers at his assistant chef.

"What part of the kitchen is Grams in?" James asks.

"In the corner J-man." Romero answers.

"That's where we're gonna go then. Bye Romero. Can't wait for lunch."

"Bye my little royals." He laughs and goes back to stir something on the stove.

We hop off the counter and make our way towards the corner where we can hear grandma humming. It was the song she sang on my birthday every year. And I was going to make her sing it again at this slumber party.

"We're back Grams." James says and we sit on the stools near the kitchen island.

"Good. James, stay away from the cookie dough." She says and smacks James' hand inching towards the bowl.

"You're baking cookies too, huh?" I ask and eat some of the dough without grandma noticing.

I throw James a smug look and he glares at me before trying to eat the cookie dough only for Grams to catch him again.

I laugh at him and he shakes his head in disappointment.

"Why not!" She giggles and goes back to the waffle iron.

"Remember when we put a tomato in there?" I laugh when I saw the machine.

"Squashed it right down."

"Maple syrup, butter, chocolate, or what?" Granny tells us to pick our toppings.

"Everything." James and I chorus.

She smiles fondly and hands us our plates with waffles.

We grab forks and dig right in and gobble it up in five minutes. God, I've missed these waffles.

After eating, we help clean the counters and sink and then Grandma has to go receive a phone call.

"I will see you children later. Bye my loves." She hugs us and heads to her room.

I pull my phone out from my pocket and check the time. 8:00am.

"I've got two hours before meeting my bodyguard. I'm heading to my room, then. See you later, Janice." I wave at him and he scoffs at me but says goodbye.

I walk up the stairs and to my room nodding and smiling at all the maids and workers curtsy. Like I said, it makes me uncomfortable. I walk into my room and look at Tikki who is still sleeping.

I grab my laptop from my suitcase and settle on my bed, causing Tikki to wake up.

"Sorry to wake you up!" I apologise.

"It's alright. What are you doing Marinette?" She says as she flies and settles on my shoulder.

"We're watching a movie now that I have time before my meeting." I answer her and play the movie _Bride Wars._

I snuggles into my cozy blanket and drown in my pillows. Time to enjoy the movie.

Just as the credits roll, somebody knocks on my door. Tikki dives into a drawer and I get up to open the door.

I swing it open and see Alya standing there. She's wearing grey ripped jeans with a red crop sweater.

"You look hot girl!" I compliment her and let her enter my room.

"Look who's talking. You look drop dead gorgeous Mari." She squeals and I roll my eyes, thanking her.

We both plop down on my bed.

"Where are the others?" I ask, as I log off my Netflix.

"They're down for the breakfast buffet spread laid out. I was sent to get you." She shrugs.

"Well, I already had my breakfast."

"Really? What time did you get up?" She asks.

"6am." I growl.

"Why?!" She asks, eyes wide.

"Lucas and Zayn." I huff.

Alya blinks at me and then has a fit of laughter. She literally laughs for a whole minute till her lungs need air again.

"Man, they're really good friends. Are they dead yet?" She wipes her tears.

"Not yet...unfortunately."

"I'll get along with them well. For now, let's go for breakfast. You can eat a croissant and drink some juice maybe." She suggests. "Now let's go."

I nod and get up to head out but stop when I catch a sight of my hair in the mirror. Strands fall out and hair stands straight out from my ponytail. I grumble and grab a peach hoodie and plop it down on my head to cover up the mess.

" _Now_ , let's go." I say and we head down to the buffet room.

We stand before two large doors with men standing outside. They smile and nod and open the doors to the room for us. Alya and I walk in dramatically like in movies. We notice four tables, six chairs with each and long tables with food on it and one with empty plates and utensils.

The first table has Rose, Nathanael, Myelene, Ivan, Juleka and Max, all enjoying their breakfast and chatting with each other.

The second table has Chloe and Sabrina. And that's it. Either they didn't want anyone to sit with them or nobody _wanted_ to sit with them. They don't care anyways. Their eyes remain glued to their phone screens. _Lively_.

The third table is empty. Huh. Alright.

The fourth table has Alix, Kim, Nino and Adrien and two empty chairs for Alya and I. Alix and Kim seem to be in an arguement while Nino and Adrien ignore them and talk about something.

Alya nudges me with her elbow and points towards the food.

I sigh. Food is beautiful.

I walk in a daze towards my precious and am suddenly awoken by the fresh smell of oranges. I pick two butter croissants up and set them on my plate and then fill up a glass with some OJ.

Alya grabs her breakfast and we both head toward our friends at the table.

"Good morning!" "Mornin'" chorus from them and I smile and sit down next to Adrien while Alya sits between Nino and I.

"Um...wow...you look...wow Mari." Said Adrien when he looked up.

I looked down to hide my blush and mumbled out a thanks and a smile.

I saw Alya nudge Nino.

"How do I look huh?" She teased him.

"Great!" He exclaimed.

"I wish you would get flustered like Adrien did." She grumbled only so Nino and I could hear it.

I kicked her from under the table.

"What's up with Alix and Kim?"

"They're arguing if you pour milk first or cereal."

I answered "Cereal first and then milk" while Alya said "Milk first."

We both looked at each other in disbelief.

"You're doing it all wrong then girl!" She told me.

"What kind of creature are you?" I said.

"Exactly Mari! That's what I said!" Nino agrees with me and nods his head.

"What? No way! It's milk first and then the cereal." Adrien shakes his head and sides with Alya.

"Milk first!" Alix yells.

"Cereal always!" Kim roars back.

And just like that, the argument turned from between two people, to six.

"I can't look at you guys the same way again. You make me sick!" I say dramatically to Team Milk.

Nino nods and Kim crosses his arms and lift his chin proudly.

"Can we just drop it?" Adrien sighs.

"Never, you...you..YOU CEREAL SOGGER!" I point my finger at him accusing him of a major _crime._

"Cereal sogger? As in someone who makes ceral soggy? How offensive Mari. Jeez." Alya snorts.

Before anyone can say anything, the guards open the great doors and my friends come strolling in.

Lucy in her skirt and and cardigan. Zayn in his t-shirt and ripped jeans. Lucas adding a blazer on his outfit. James in the fabulous clothes picked by moi.

They smile at everyone before heading to the empty table.

Everybody resumes to talking and then after five minutes,

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Zayn's voice calls out.

We turn to see him standing on the table cupping his mouth using it as a microphone. The other royals are just shaking their heads at him, embarrassed.

"Let the preparations for the slumber party begin!" He announces.

 **A.N.**

 **SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE. This was just a filler chapter, I apologise. The slumber party might be next chapter;) I hope you liked this and now a very important question for you all.**

 **MILK FIRST OR CEREAL?**


	19. Chapter 19

**A.N.: I'm back! Sorry if this chapter is not great. There can be errors in this because i haven't proofread. Anyways, I hope you like it and provide me with your opinions and reviews. Now read.**

"And now would be a good time for me to go attend my meeting with my bodyguard. Have fun with Zayn bossing you around!" I whispered to Alya and made a move to slip out of my chair but Alya grasped my arm.

"What do you mean by that? And what are you going to tell the people who ask you where you're going?" She whispered back.

"You'll see." I say and stand up.

"Where are you going Marinette?" Adrien asks with a smile.

"Oh nothing. My father knows one of the bakers here and had asked me to meet him right," I looked at the time,"now."

It wasn't exactly a lie. My father knew a baker here. All of them. Because he was the king. But Adrien doesn't need to know that.

"Oh. Do you want us to join you?" He offered.

"No no, I-I'm good. Thanks. You guys should just listen to Prince Zayn now. See what's happening."

He seemed reluctant but nodded and turned to Nino. I patted Alya on her back and then went to Ms. Bustier's table to tell her where I was going. She nodded, ecstatic to be in on the not so little secret. I start walking towards the doors and see Lucas excuse himself. I exit the room and wait for Lucas.

"Hey, time for your meeting?" He shuts the door behind him.

"Yup. Where is he waiting?" I fall in step beside him as he walks and leads us away from the hall.

"The study. Do you want me to join you? Someone's got to make sure you don't chase this one away." He laughs.

I might not have the best history with my bodyguards. First off they're emotionless while talking to me. It's like they're asleep. I feel more awkward than usual while talking to them. I'm already socially awkward and they really don't make it easier. Secondly, I believe that i don't need a bodyguard. I can handle myself. That leads me to the third point. Whenever there's trouble, I don't wait around for my bodyguards, I take on the problem myself. And now, because of my Ladybug skills, I really don't need one. I also like teasing and troubling the bodyguards when I'm used to them being around me all the time. Combine that with my Royals and the pranks are on.

"That was what...like three times!" I say.

"Yeah..more like seven. James and I keep count." He flicked my nose and we climbed the stairs.

I scoff and change the subject.

"Did you hear who's coming to the slumber party again?"

"Who?"

"Janice."

We both look at each other and burst out laughing. Literally cackling till the point where tears spring out of our eyes. We wipe them away and get over our laughing fit.

"Poor James." He cooed.

"I really want to avoid her. Knowing her though, she would be itching for a fight. She's crazy I tell you, _crazy."_ I shake my head.

"You can handle her. Demolish her ass. Anyways, who the fuck-"

"Language!" I reprimand.

"Sorry. _Whom_ the fuck-" Lucas _'corrects'._

"You know what, continue."

"-does she think she is.

"Trimeria's national brat." I pip and turn right.

"And daddy's delicate darling. She's been pampered since she was in her Pampers. She's practically the mean girl in every movie." Lucas adds.

"When did you last see her?" I ask.

"A couple of months back. It was the Prime Minister's birthday party, if I'm correct. She was so disappointed when James wasn't present. He had a fever. I was afraid she would run all the way to our palace just to give him a 'Get Well Soon!' kiss." He gags.

"Didn't Zayn have a thing for her?" I inquire.

He scoffs,"You know, better than anyone, that Zayn flirts with anything that doesn't have a pole between its legs. That boy is so thirsty that even the whole Pacific Ocean wouldn't be enough for him."

"He's as salty as the ocean too."

"True that, Mare." He nods and chuckles.

And that's when we reach the study.

"Ah, there you are!" A voice with a thick British accent calls out.

"Clara!" I embrace her.

Clara is my grandmother's assistant. She takes care of her meetings, duties and is usually the one who frets after me. Clara is a lady in her late twenties who's got shining blonde hair and bright blue eyes complimenting her pale skin and rosy cheeks. She kept me company during my etiquette and ballroom dancing classes and didn't mind when I ranted to her. She even joined in to make fun of them. Clara is like my aunt, my mother's best friend.

"I've missed you so much, my dear. You look absolutely fabulous. Doesn't she, Lucas?" She gushes.

"When does she not?" Lucas winks mockingly.

I stick my tongue out at him and pull back to smile at Clara.

"Now, we can catch up later. Your new bodyguard is waiting in there with Your Highness keeping him company. Please don't scare this one off, darling. He looks sharper than your father's sword." She sighs and brushes imaginary dust off my shoulders.

"He's caught your eye then?" I wiggle my eyebrows.

"Oh he better be catching feelings soon, too." She winks and pulls me into the room with Lucas strolling behind.

My eyes are drawn toward the centre of the room where my grandma sits in a knee-length beige dress across from a man. He wears a black suit and sunglasses. Classic bodyguard apparel. His dark hair is arranged neatly and his posture is stiff.

The Queen turns to me and says, "Marinette! Take a seat. Lucas how wonderful of you to join us!"

I sit on the couch and Lucas sits down next to me. I smile and nod when the bodyguard bows.

"This is going to be your new bodyguard. His name is Joseph. Why don't you just take a look at his file?" She hands me a file and I flip through it.

Hmm. Joseph Harris. Age- 30. Professional agent from the RPP agency. Trained in all martial arts. Blah, blah blah. Wow, he's good. He has a great knowledge of guns too.

"This is all very impressive!" I compliment and hand the file to Lucas who goes through it.

"Thank you, princess." He nods.

"Please, call me Mari, Sir." I wave.

"Mari, it is. You may call me Joe if you please."

"Joe," I chuckle, "Joey?"

He chuckles and then blankly says,"No. Joe."

Wow, monotone extraordinaire should be added to his file ASAP.

"Got it." I nod in understanding.

"Joseph will be at your service from tomorrow, Mari. Are there any questions that you want to ask him?" My grandmother asks.

"Not at the moment. May I join my friends to help prepare for the slumber party now?"

"Why not? Go right ahead. Have fun kids!" She waves us off and Lucas and I walk out of the study.

"So...are you actually planning to help them?" Lucas questions with humour in his voice.

"With Zayn criticising anything and everything? No way. I'm just going to need a little bit of help from Nino. You remember Nino, don't you?" I say.

"Yes, I do. Wasn't he your best friend in Paris a couple of years ago? The guy with amazing DJ skills?" He asks.

"Yes, my close friend. I need him put some of those skills to work."

And then we walk to the Banquet Hall where the preparations are going on. The hall is present outside the palace. So the guests can eneter as soon as they get out of their cars/carriages/helicopters/Limos etc.

"You head in first and I'll follow." I suggest.

He hums in agreement and enters. I wait for two minutes and then walk in.

I see everybody working. Some of them putting up balloons and decorations, some arranging mattresses, some setting up a stage, some rolling the red carpet outside.

I spot Lucy and James helping Alya. They must be talking to her normally as she's the only one who knows about my identity. I smile at them warmly and freeze when Zayn sees me. He narrows his eyes and beckons me to him. He's already in boss mode. _Great._

"And where were you slacking off?" He questions and crosses his arms.

"The meeting, remember?"

"Excuses excuses. Anyways, what duty shall I assign to you?" He looks up trying to think of a job for me.

Oh hell no. I'm not gonna take orders from him.

"Actually, I can't stay. I'm going to be needing Nino too." I say.

Before he can open his mouth to argue and lecture me, I continue," _But..._ I've got an offer for you!"

"You do, do you?" He narrows his eyes at me.

Zayn takes this work way too seriously. He's like Monica from _Friends._

"Yes, and it's..." I look around for something, anything to get me out of here and... _bingo!_

I see Lucas hiding behind the pillar where Zayn is standing. I bet he's trying not to be bossed around too. Sorry bestie.

"Lucas!" I point behind the pillar.

Lucas' eyes widen and he frantically looks around in panic.

But I'm quick and I skip around and grab his arm. I pull him out of his hiding place and present him in front of Zayn.

"I've got you another slave." I bow mockingly and Lucas stares daggers at me.

"Fine, I'll accept this exchange." Zayn smiles and rubs his hands evilly.

I pat Lucas' back in thanks and walk off while he whisper yells at me to save him. The last thing I hear from them is Zayn throwing orders left and right.

God, I love my friends.

I pause and look around to see if anybody noticed us. Huh...no one. Aren't we an oblivious bunch.

I then spot Nino working at the snacks table. I know for sure that he's not picking out the snacks though. Zayn has it all arranged in his notepad already. As I'm about to reach Nino, I suddenly become nervous. Mind you, I'm not nervous because of Nino. But because of Adrien standing next to him.

Ok Mari, keep calm. Don't hyperventilate _. Even though he looks so great in that v-neck and those jeans and those shoe- oh STUFF IT MARINETTE._

"Hey guys!" I wave and approach them.

"Hi!" They chorus.

"How was your talk with that chef, Marinette?" Adrien asks.

"Wha-? Oh! That chef. It was great, yeah. Amazing just like you...your shoes! Nice choice." I give him a thumbs up.

 _Real smooth Mari._

"Anyways, I need Nino's help. Do you mind if I steal him?" I ask him.

"No problem." He shrugs and continues setting the table.

"Yeah sure. What do you need Mare?" Nino asks.

"Help me arrange the music? Lucas himself has some suggestions that he has passed onto me." I say nonchalantly.

"Let's do it! Let me grab my equipment and let's meet in the garden." He says enthusiastically.

"You got it!"

\-- 7:00 p.m. --

After working with Nino, I helped out with the slumber party preparations. Zayn had me setting speakers and fluffing pillows while I grudgingly obliged. After hours of working, the hall looked amazing.

There were velvet curtains, of the deepest red colour, draped against the windows. The marble floor was shining. The slide for mattress surfing was looking smoother than butter. The balloons were a rich gold. The stage was polished and the wood looked earthy. The snacks on the table looked delicious. The chandelier hanging above was sparkling more than any diamond. All in all, we did a pretty good job.

My classmates were called to join the party at 8:30p.m. While, I had to present myself at 7:00 just so I could have some normal time with my friends and some not so friends before we had to pretend like we were complete strangers.

I entered the hall in my pyjamas, and in my opinion, they were pretty dang cute.

It was actually a onesie. A blue unicorn onesie. I had made it a year back for a sleepover but never got around to wearing it. Now's the time, I guess.

There's a few reporters waiting outside for the princes and the princesses' arrival. Big gossips, they are. They've got all the tea. My friend, Ella Shaw is one herself. The host of her own show, the most popular one in Genovia, called _Sunny Side Up._

I grab my phone from my pocked and head to the pile of mattresses kept in the corner of the hall. I scroll through Instagram, liking pictures and tagging my friends in some of them. Just as I close the app, i bear somebody gush outside and several cameras flashing.

"The first guest is here!"

"Who is it?"

"Your Highness!"

I hear all sorts of squeals and whispers.

My first guest is here then, huh.

Let the party begin!

 **A.N.: The next chapter will be the slumber party, I promise. As you've probably noticed, this story contains a lot of references from** **The Princess Diaries.** **This is not a crossovers, I just like to throw in a couple of references and Easter eggs now and then. I'm so sorry for the wait. I hope I didn't disappoint you. Xoxo.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A.N.: THIS IS A VERY SHORT CHAPTER IM SO SORRY. But I still hope you like it. Don't forget to review because that's how I know you guys are liking my story and want me to continue it. It just gives me a push to write more chapters when I read your comments. Thanks for all your support! I also found out that my story has gotten 58,000 reads! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. I'm so happy and I love you all. Now read.**

I get up from my comfortable position in the mattress mountains and adjust my onesie. I flip my hood up so that my unicorn horn stands upright and shining. Pocketing my phone, I walk towards the entrance door. The door is made of glass but has a film on it which makes looking through it impossible as the images appear distorted. This was done for privacy from the paparazzi.

The doors were closed but I could hear hushed whispers and cameras flashing. The guards were standing on the outside so I knocked once to warn them before pushing the door slightly to peek. Nobody noticed me as I poked my head out and spotted...

Why? Why why why? Why must this happen to me?

It was Janice.

It was Janice wearing her night outfit. And what an outfit it was. If you could call it that. She was wearing the skimpiest piece of clothing. Did nobody tell her that this wasn'tif she a Victoria's Secret Lingerie party? Her pink shorts barely covered her behind and the top had a neckline so deep even Adele couldn't roll in it. It was strapless and ended above her torso. From there, netted fabrics covered her abdomen till her navel. It was basically a silk bra extended with a fishnet just till her belly button. That's it. That's her outfit. Oh and slippers.

God, the limits she went to for James. I don't mean to shame her but if she was actually doing the things that categorised her as a bitch, I was just stating facts.

I watched her as she waved and blew kisses to the cameras, walking very slowly. I shut the door and took my place in the centre of the hall to welcome my first guest. I sighed in boredom and waited for her to hurry up and enter already. That's when the doors opened and Janice strut in. She saw me and grimaced but covered it up with a fake smile.

I smiled repulsively and tried to be enthusiastic," Janice! How _wonderful_ that you could make it!"

She walked to me and hugged me, kissing me on either cheek while I mentally gagged.

"Marinette! It's been so long since I've last seen you! Looks like you haven't been practicing the waist slimming exercise I told you about!"

 _That was so bad._ I knew my body was perfect the way it was. She knew it too but she would choose any topic she could to make me feel insecure. Oh well, I'm not having any of it.

"Well they haven't worked on you so I found them to be useless. But don't worry about me, worry about your hair." I pat her shoulder.

Her hair fine but she was so consumed in her looks that these were the petty things she would cause havoc about.

Her hand shot to her head and she gasped. She scowled at me and ran off to find a mirror to probably adjust her hair and cake her face with more makeup to conceal her 'flaws.'

One by one all the guests arrived. I welcomed them while patiently waiting for my friends to arrive.

I also laughed in the corner till my stomach ached when Janice' overprotective cousin, Liam, on arriving made her change into something less revealing. She threw a fit and he kept shoving clothes at her face. He kept flailing his arms, explaining how it's rude to flash people with excess skin that they didn't ask to see. The most he could get her to do was wear pink sparkly t-shirt with shorts. He had grinned in triumph and went to talk to a person who had _sunglasses_ on. The person was also wearing a hood trying to conceal who he was.

Who wears sunglasses at night?! I don't know anybody that stu- Oh wait, I do know somebody who's _that_ stupid.

Once Liam had walked away, I stalked over to the figure and tapped him on his shoulder.

"James? Tell me this isn't you." I groan.

"So you want me to lie?" He grinned sheepishly.

"When did you get here? And take those sunglasses off, you look ridiculous." I snatched the sunglasses from his eyes and his hands instantly shot up grabbing them and wearing them again.

"Hey-hey! I need those. I need to hide and remain inconspicuous. I need to blend in." He said.

"Oh, trust me. You're the most odd looking person here right now. This is not called blending in. And why would you need to hide?" I asked.

"Janice is on the hunt and I'm the poor deer." He shuddered.

Ohhh...now I understand. I laugh at my cousin and tease him and he just shakes his head at me, annoyed.

"You do you, James. Where's Lucy?" I ask him and he points to the snacks table.

And there's Lucy, with her plate full of donuts and munching on Oreos.

"How come you're not around her? Shy, are you?" I wiggle my eyebrows.

He scoffs and says," Shy? Please. You guys have seen me naked when we were kids. I have nothing to be shy about around you guys."

"Whatever you say." I sing and wish him good luck hiding from Janice and walk towards Lucy.

"Lula! Hand me a donut." Best friends. Priorities.

"Here you go my Muffin." She places a glazed donut in my outstretched palm and I start to devour it.

"Did you see Janice? She's taken three rounds by now trying to locate James." I chuckle.

A flicker of annoyance passes through Lucy's face but it goes away as soon as it appeared.

"Yup. I saw that girl. Also saw that nose job she got. She just made it worse."

"Agreed. But we should let her do what she wants, it's her choice, it's her body. She has that right. Though, I wouldn't mind if she toned down on the makeup. I'm not bringing her down, it's just advice. I still don't like her though." I finish my donut and pour myself some fruit punch.

"Same here, sister" She raises her own glass and I clink mine against hers and proceed to drink it.

Hm that's strange. This fruit punch tastes different. It's not bad though. I've studied about poisons and know for sure that they're not blended in because of the smell. Must've been a strange fruit or something. I keep chatting with Lucy and drinking a lot of punch. The more I drink, the better it tastes. I must've had at least ten glasses by now.

"Hey, I just gotta use the washroom. I'll see you later Muffin." Lucy pats my shoulder and leaves.

"Bye!" I wave and giggle.

Haha. Giggle giggle giggle.

I set down the glass and start to walk. I almost trip because the floor decides to move.

"Woah," I giggle again, "Stop moving you floor!" I chastise the floor which had me swaying.

"Good." I grin in triumph and bend down to give the floor an appreciative pat.

I get back up and look around, my eyes half closed. I spot Lucas leaning against a pillar, on his phone.

"Lucky! Lucas! Luke! Lukey! Loser!" I shout as I make my way towards him.

I think the floor wants to trip me because I keep stumbling and hobbling while making my way towards him.

He looks up from his phone and his eyes widen when he sees me stumbling. I swear I'm not clumsy.

"Mari? Are you okay?" He walks up to me and I stumble into him.

"Heyooo!" I greet him with a stupid grin.

"Woah there." He grabs my shoulders to steady me.

"Woah where?" I tilt my head in confusion and look around to spot Woah.

"Marinette, are you _drunk?"_ He asks slowly.

"Noooo." I say and laugh when I notice the floor moving again.

I hope it trips Lucas for assuming I'm drunk. I would _neveeerrr._

"Shit, you _are_ drunk."

I have a feeling today is gonna be fun.

 **A.N.: IM SO SORRY FOR THE SHORT CHAPTER.**

 **Also, I'm not shaming Janice, but in this story she's awful at makeup. Also, about her clothes. I feel that girls should be allowed to wear whatever they want and I'm all here for it. But, if you're wearing this just for attention and guys...and not for you, you need to value your morals. Also, you will see why Janice is a hated character.**

 **So, I hope you liked this chapter and I'll see you next time! Xoxo.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A.N.: Hey guys! I'm back. Here's the sleepover. If you want me to continue this story, please leave me a review because that is what keeps me motivated and going. I hope you like this chapter! Excuse the mistakes! P.S.: if you've forgotten any character refer to the following chapters for l reference: Lucas,Zayn, James, Lucy: chapter 5/ The Queen: chapter 16/ Clara,Joseph: chapter 19/ If you guys need anymore clarification, please feel free to ask me! Now read.**

I look at him with wide eyes. Blink. Blink.

And then my hand reaches out and slaps him.

"Ouch!" He cups his cheek and stares at me in shock.

"What the hell was that for?!" He asks.

"Your face...it annoyed me." I mumble and then start humming a song.

"Never heard that excuse before," he mutters," Are you humming Hot Cross Buns?"

"Duh. It's my jam." I look at him as if he was stupid.

Who wouldn't want to bust a move on this song? I take a few steps back from him and snap my fingers while swaying. My humming turns into singing and I get a couple of odd looks from people.

"You're embarrassing us. Stop." Lucas grabs my wrists and brings them down, effectively stopping my grooving.

I stick my tongue out at him maturely.

"Okay now let's see how tipsy you are. Take a few steps back and walk to me in a straight line."

"Coolzies." I reply and go a few steps behind.

I start walking forward but the floor decides to trip me again. I don't fall for it this time and dodge it by leaning on my left side. I lean too much and go stumbling into a waiter.

"Whoops!" I giggle and the waiter bows his head, apologising. He then quickly walked away.

Why is he apologising? It's not his fault. The only person who was at fault was...the floor.

"Ok. So you've passed the tipsy trip. Next, can you close your eyes?" Lucas rushes to my side and asks.

"Okie dokie." I shut my eyes and tilt my head back.

I raise my hand and try to point to my nose but keep missing and hit my cheek. I even poked my eye once. Ooh, I even managed to stab Lucas' chin with my finger once.

"How does one miss that bad?" He comments after telling me to open my eyes.

Did he just insult my aim? I think he just insulted my aim.

"Oh why don't we go shoot arrows tomorrow? I promise I won't miss if your head is my target. Let's see who has the better aim then." I challenge and narrow my eyes threateningly.

"Mari, you know you are better than me. It's just...Ugh I forgot! _Never argue with a drunk person._ " He mumbles to himself.

"You wanna go dude?" I keep challenging him punching the air around him to intimidate him.

He rolls his eyes at me. Ha! I knew it. He's so scared of me he can't even look at me.

"What the hell did you have?"

"Well, I had waffles this morning, them for lun-"

"I mean right now, at the party." Lucas interrupts.

"Rude. But I had a muffin. Oh and I drank that fruit punch!"

"Fruit punch?" He drawls.

"Yeah! You know what, if you want some, we can just head over to the snacks table there! It's delicious! I thought it was strange at first but it gets better if you keep drinking." I babble.

"How many glasses did you have?"

"Like two-" I start.

"Well if it's only two," He sighs.

"-litres." I finish.

"What?!"

"I don't know Lucky! I didn't calculate 'kay? Gosh." I shake my head at him and then start giggling for no reason.

"I hope you're exaggerating. Drunks do that."

"Who's drunk?" I ask.

"Nevermind" He sighs and I shrug and giggle again.

"Lucky." I call out to Lucas.

He ignores me and continues to scroll through his phone. He had dragged me back to the mattress mountain and insisted that I stay there till I 'sobered up'. What did he mean by that? I was as sober as a llama.

"Lucky." I was ignored once again.

"LUCKY!" I yelled straight in his ear.

He jumped, startled and then whipped his head towards me with narrowed eyes.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I wanna go back to the party. I wanna dance and mingle y'know? I wanna meet my people y'know? I wanna hop like a tree y'know? I wanna soar like a penguin y'know?" I tell him my wishes.

"I actually don't know. And I'm glad." He shakes his head at me.

"When are my friends getting here? Alya, Adrien, Nino, etc."

"They got here. Half an hour ago." He replies.

"What?! Where was I?"

"We were both here. You were counting your fingers and you were set on saying that you had 13."

"Don't I?" I furrowed my eyebrows and looked down at my hands...13.

Lucas uttered a prayer and then texted James. I crawled over to him and sat beside him. I rest my head on my best friend's shoulder and looked into his phone as he typed.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Nothing, sweetheart." He chuckled and kissed my forehead fondly.

"Coolzies." I say and shut my eyes, feeling sleepy.

He puts his arm around me and strokes my hair gently. It felt nice being reunited with him.

"I'm here!" I heard James say.

"Good. I think she's asleep. I need to go welcome the guests, so I need you to stay here with her. She's drunk. I'll explain later. Do not leave her alone. If something happens to her, you will pay. Take care of her then, dude." Lucas says.

He thinks I'm sleeping. Silly pig. I could be such a great actress. Mari Monroe. Yes.

"Dude, chill. She's my cousin too, not just your bestfriend. I got this. It's gonna be a piece of cake. She's sleeping anyways. All I gotta do is sit with her." I hear James' voice.

"You do that. I'll be back as soon as I can. Call me if you need anything." Lucas gently makes me lie down on one of the mattresses and then gets up.

I hear his footsteps which slowly fade away. It's just me and my cuz. Buzz buzz.

"This is the quietest I've ever seen you, Mari." James chuckles.

I wanna retort but I'm too lazy. Plus, I'm sure the swaying flor has got my back. Go ahead floor! Trip Jamie boy.

I zone out for a few minutes and then hear,"Shit!"

I open one eye to see James on his feet whipping his head side to side frantically. His eyes are widened and he look like he's in a hurry.

"Janice spotted me! Gosh, why?!" He swears and then runs away, stumbling a bit, thanks for that, floor.

Asshole completely forgot about me! What a mean cousin. He will pay. But for now, I'm bored. I sit upright and rub my eyes. The party is still in full swing so I haven't missed much. Yayyy! My throats feels really dry though...time for some more punch! I swear I remember someone telling me something about the punch. What was wrong with it again? I forget the reason and stand up.

I locate the snack table and start walking towards it. Step. Step. Step. Step. Crash.

"Whoops!" I say as I walk into a hard, lean chest.

Hands grab my shoulders to steady me and prevent me from falling. I smack my lips and look up to see who the wall is that I crashed into.

 _Adrien Agreste._

Predictable. I don't know why, but I don't even feel nervous around him right now. I feel very very confident. Courageous. Strong. Abs. Colton Haynes. I'm sorry, what was I thinking about...oh yes! No nervousness in my system. Yee-haw!

"Woah there. Hey, Marinette! You look great! Love the unicorn look." He comments.

I give him a once over. He's wearing blue pyjamas. His sleeves are rolled up till his elbows and the first four buttons on his shirt are popped open, giving me a view of his hard chest. Yum. Am I drooling? Let me check. Nope, I'm good.

"Hot. I wanna bury my hands in your soft golden locks." I tell him and pat his cheek with one hand.

All I want right now is fruit punch, so I leave behind a perplexed Adrien and head towards the bowl.

I fill up a glass and quench my thirst. Ah. Much better.

"It is time for Mattress Surfing!" I hear the announcement and quickly put down my cup.

Mattress surfing is the best part of these parties. Let's gooo. I spin and skip my way towards the stairs leading towards the slope slide thingy. I even wave hello to one of the flying orange pigs sitting on the chandelier. They wink and wave back too.

I climb the stairs to see Kim and Alix surfing down mattresses competitively. Whoopie! A race!

"I wanna go next! I wanna go next!" I raise my hand and squeal.

The guards look at me because of my strange behaviour but let me get on the mattress. Instead of sitting, I remain standing.

"Lemme show y'all how this is _really_ done." I say as I wait for them to push me.

3..2..1..HERE I GO.

As my vehicle slides down, I do a handstand. I also flip like twice. Once I reach the bottom, I climb off the mattress and bow down as the people cheer for me. I look at Chloe who is fuming at me. That's right. Be jealous.

"Girl! That was amazing!" I hear a voice as someone hugs me.

I pull back to see it's Alya.

"Al my pal!" I hug her back tightly.

Her hair is so pretty. Red. Orange. Like the sun. Adrien is hotter than the sun. Adrien is perfect. What was I talking about? Meh, whateverrr.

"Hellooo. You still here?" Alya snaps her fingers in front of my face.

I hiccup and salute her," Yes, sir."

I grab her hands and count her fingers...12.

"Alya! You're missing one finger! Oh no. Let's go find a finger and glue it to you."

"Girl wait. I'm not missing any fingers and even if I was, do you really expect to find a finger lying around?" She asks.

"The flying orange pig next to you says so too." I say and point at it.

"What?! Where's the pig?" She looks where I pointed.

She can't see it? She needs to get her eyes checked. Orrrr...what if I'm the only one who can see the pigs, it'd be like I'm a superhero or something. Oh wait! I _am_ a superhero. So cool.

"Right there. It's waving at you now."

"Mari, are you drunk?" She asks slowly.

"No, I'm Mari." I say seriously.

Did she forget who I was?

"Does anyone know?" She asks again.

Why so many questions?

"Lucas maybe. So chilllll, let's mattress surf." And with that I grab her hand and go for another round of surfing.

\- 1 hour later -

That was so much fun! Except the part when Janice jumped on top of James' mattress mid surf. That wasn't fun for James but I laughed enough for the both of us so it's good. Gosh, the piggies laughed with me too. Love them.

Now, I was seated along with everyone in a room with a stage. Someone would go and perform and we would all have fun. Yippeee! My grandma had also arrived along with Clara. When they had spotted me giggling with the pigs, who for whatever reason they couldn't see, they had called Lucas and I in the corner.

 _"Grams! Hellloooo!" I shout cheerfully._

 _"Hello Mari. A little too excited to see me?" She asks looking at me strangely._

 _"Yups." I breathe out._

 _She sniffs the air for a moment and then turns to Lucas with wide eyes._

 _"What is that smell? I know it all too well but I'm waiting for an explanation." She asks Lucas sternly._

 _"Well...um, how do I put this? So, Marinette happened to have some fruit punch earlier tonight, by some I mean a lot, and assuming by her behaviour and speech, I think the punch was spiked. Alcohol. I'm sure Mari would be smart enough not to have anything that looked or smelled suspicious so I'm guessing it was something that looked ordinary, like vodka. I have no knowledge of alcohol or any liquor by the way. Never had it once. Never. Not even a sip. I'm totally innocent. I can't even say the word alcohol. Oh wait, I did. What a fluke! Anyways, the conclusion is, Marinette is...intoxicated." Lucas finishes his rambling._

 _Never had alcohol my ass._

 _"So what you mean to tell me is that my granddaughter is_ drunk _?" My grandma says the same time Clara says,_

 _"Our princess is_ wasted?!"

" _I wouldn't say wasted. Just tipsy. I have people looking into who spiked it. It might be a teenager who did it just for fun. It might be an enemy who did it to harm Mari. We don't know yet but as soon as we do, I will inform you. Don't worry about her. She'll sober up soon or sleep it off. Have a great time, your Highness." Lucas explains to her._

 _My grandmother frowns but says," Only because I trust you, son. Take care of her. I know she'll be alright, I've gotten drunk way too many times in my youth. I still do. Anyways, just keep her safe."_

 _She squeezes Lucas' shoulder and kisses my forehead._

 _The little piggy next to me was offended at not being noticed so I pat him on the head as my grandmother leaves to take her seat on the sofa. Clara just shoots me an amused look before she follows the Queen._

Now, the first performers are standing on stage. My Lady's maids Brigitte and Brigitta. They flip and split and somersault and blah blah all that flexible stuff. Once they're done, I stand up and cheer.

"You go girls! Whoop! Yeah-"

Alya pulls me down and makes me clap like all the others are. The maids smile bashfully and bow in thanks. Many people perform, including all these royal people I've invited. Janice also performs,trying to strip off the extra clothes Liam made her wear but her cousin is having none of it and drags her off stage mid performance. Liam, my man, you're the real MVP. Thanks for existing.

"And now, if the Queen would join us and sing for us." Lucy announces and then smiles at grandma.

"Me? Oh no, my dear." My grandmother shakes her head and smiles.

"Come on. Everybody say with me, Lillian! Lillian! Lillian!" Lucy cheers and the whole room chants with her.

I do too," Lillian! *hiccup* Lillian! *hiccup* Lillies! Roses! Mphh." Alya covers my mouth.

"Oh alright!" My grandmother gives in and walks up on stage.

Grabbing the mike she says," this song is for my granddaughter, the Princess, who could not be here due to...a reason. Anyways, I sang this song to her whenever she had doubts about if she could be a good princess and future queen. I sang this quite often then. Has been a few years since I haven't. So, let's go."

Awwww..Gramgram. That was sweet. The tune starts playing and the Queen starts singing, "Some girls are fair,.."

She goes on for a while before suddenly the rhythm changes into an upbeat one. Oh yeah, this is what Nino and I had created. Everybody cheers and grandma looks around confused," I don't know how to do this sort of thing!"

"I do!" Lucy joins her on stage and starts singing. Once grandma gets a hang of it, she joins in and the whole room is clapping and dancing.

I sway around thanks to the floor moving me. And also sing along from my place.

"And that will be your crowning glory..the most glorious part of you..." they finish the song and cheers break loose.

I jump up and down along with the piggies and the floor in excitement. And then everything goes black.

 **A.N. Hope you guys liked it. Kinda terrible, I know. Please excuse the mistakes. So that's the sleepover, over. Who do you think spiked the punch? Don't forget to leave a review if you want me to continue. Xoxo.**


	22. Chapter 22

**A.N.: Hey guys! So I was just checking my stats for the first time last week and I saw that I had gotten 60,000 views. WHAT. I was so shocked. Thank you guys so much for your follows, favourites and reviews. They mean a lot to me! This chapter is different. You'll see. Shoutout to herongraystairs1234 for being there for me and this story! Love ya. Also, I'm sorry but I will be missing a couple of updates this month because of my exams. I hope you enjoy this. Now read.**

The first thing I notice as I wake up is my killer headache. I feel my head pounding through my skull and I'm gonna die. Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit but it _hurts_.

I groan in pain and open my eyes only to hiss at the light pouring in through the windows. Covering my eyes, I try to sleep again but my head won't let me. I whine loudly because I feel very cranky.

"Ah, you're awake. Good afternoon _Madame._ " I hear a sarcastic voice say.

"Shut up James."

"Someone's cheerful." James says.

"Unless you have an explanation as to why my head hurts like hell, leave. And get me medicine please."

"I got them. Explanation and medicine." I hear a third voice say.

I slowly uncover my eyes trying to adjust to the light. I see Lucas standing near the door holding a tray. He kicks the door shut and walks in, sitting on the bed and placing the tray in front of me. I see a plate of scrambled eggs and a kettle with what I am assuming is tea. It smells amazing. A glass of water and a bottle of pills are placed in the corner.

I reach out for the medicine but Lucas slaps my hand away.

"You can't have it on an empty stomach. Eat up."

I sigh and pick up the fork to start eating.

"Please brush first." James cringes at me and I scowl at him but get up and stumble my way into the bathroom feeling dizzy. After brushing, I hobble back onto the bed and Lucas hands me back my fork.

"I don't feel like eating eggs though." I tell him as I shove a forkful in my mouth.

"Eggs contain cystenine which is an amino acid. It breaks down acetaldehyde, the yucky headache-causing chemical." Lucas explains and urges me to keep eating.

"Nerd." James coughs.

Lucas glares at him and says,"It's better than being an idiot."

I scarf down as much food as I can and then Lucas hands me a pill and a glass of water. I swallow the pill and then fall back onto the pillows. Lucas pours me a cup of that aromatic tea and places it on the bedside table. Wait, that isn't my bedside table. Mine is made of wood not marble. That's when I notice I'm not in my room but I'm one of the guest rooms.

"Hey, why am I here?" I ask James.

"Oh, you see, there was a large crowd yesterday when we found you passed out and your friends wouldn't leave till they were sure you were safe. So we brought you into one of the guest rooms pretending it was your room and Alya played along. So here you are." James explains.

I nod in understanding and then look at Lucas who tells me to drink the tea.

"It's peppermint tea. It'll prevent nausea and put your stomach at ease."

I grab the mug and gulp some down. It tastes like heaven. It's minty and makes me feel more awake instantly. I note that my head hurts considerably lesser, courtesy of the pill and the tea. It's hot and burns my throat but it's a _good burn_. Get me?

"Slow down, little pig." James laughs at me.

I scowl at him and continue to drink even faster. He snorts at me.

"Who's the pig now?" I say as I wipe my mouth with a napkin.

Lucas pours more into my mug and I ask him,"How do you know about all this?"

"You don't think we've never gotten drunk before, do you?" Lucas says.

Hold up, I was drunk? How? I mean I've had my sips of champagne but never hard alcohol. Okay, maybe shots last year at Alya's party but still, I had known when to stop. But here, _ouch._

"We're the bad boys, dear cousin." James says and I roll my eyes at him.

"Okay, so explanation time. You were drunk. I'm 99% sure it was from the punch you drank. There were two bowls there but you just had to pick the one that was spiked. We took care of you but then you disappeared for a bit. We sent out guards to search for you and so did we. We then found you lying in the grass in the back garden. What the hell were you doing there?" Lucas asks, frowning.

"I don't remember."

I couldn't. I had flashes but they were random and disappeared before I could form an image out of them.

"Well the only thing that matters is that you're safe." James flashes me a small, caring smile which I return.

"Your phone is charging next to you and I also found a toy on you." James says.

"A toy?" I tilt my head and quirk my eyebrow.

"This." He opens my drawer and pulls out a red doll, the size of a hand.

Tikki.

Her eyes are wide and she has a fake grin on. She's pretending to be frozen so that my secret's not out.

I let out a small gasp but cover it up with a yawn.

"It was in your hood. What is it?" James asks as he pokes Tikki's stomach and I want to laugh but I don't.

"I-it's a gift! From...Manon! She's the little girl I used to babysit in Paris." I mutter.

"That's sweet." He puts Tikki back in the drawer and closes it.

"Yes it is." Lucas' eyes sparkle but his face doesn't give anything away.

"Well, it's their turn now." James tells Lucas who nods.

"What turn?" I ask.

"Monitor Marinette the monkey, turn. Lucas and I took care of you since 9am and now it's 2 in the afternoon. Now, Lucy and Zayn are going to take charge. Alya insisted to watch over you so she will be joining them. Have fun." James ruffles my hair and Lucas winks at me as they turn and leave the room.

Did this guy just call me a monkey?!

Also, Lucy, Zayn _and_ Alya? At the same time? Three of the most talkative people I know in the world in the same room. I'm gonna need earphones.

Lucy enters the room and jumps on me, tackling me into a hug and I'm barely able to save my tea and put the mug on the table.

"You scared the shit out of me!" She screams.

"I'm sorry! I had no idea what was going on!" I hug her back.

"You're forgiven. Also, don't get drunk without me again. I want to have my first drink with you. Alya told me you had yours at her party." She sits back on the bed and crosses her jean clad legs.

"Yeah, Nino practically forced me! They were all cheering my name. Peer pressure. I only had a couple," I explain myself.

"So you aren't the poster perfect princess, are you?" She smirks at me.

I scoff, "As if you didn't already know that."

Alya comes running in and jumps on me, just missing Lucy. She hugs me really tightly and the wind is knocked out of my lungs.

"N-not again.." I whine.

"A-Al, I'm suffocating h-here." I pat her on her back and she release me.

I pant as she apologises sheepishly.

"Girl what the hell did you have yesterday?! You should've seen yourself, it was hilarious! And I'm sorry to say but you embarrassed yourself in front of Adrien...multiple times." She mumbled out.

WHAT?! As if I hadn't done that enough times already. He must think I'm such a fool.

"Oh yeah, Gabriel's son. Blonde boy. Your crush. I remember you telling me in the car. The guys have no idea do they?" Lucy asks as Alya settles beside me on the bed.

"Nope, they don't. I don't want them to go into overprotective territorial-must protect- mode yet." I roll my eyes as I remember James, Lucas and Zayn lecturing me about boys when I was 11. Funny, Zayn told me I should stay away from guys who come on too strong. I mean _look who's talking._

"Okay, so what did I do _this time?"_ I sigh and look at Alya.

"Why don't you watch?" Alya says as she pulls out her phone from her shorts pocket and plays a video.

 _I see myself walking-more like swaying, gosh who did this?- and then walk right into Adrien. How did I not see him?! I literally had a whole ten feet to change my path and avoid walking into anyone but what did I do? Knock into the love of my life._

 _He steadies me,"Woah there. Hey, Marinette! You look great! Love the unicorn look."_

I blush at the compliment and wait to watch what i replied.

 _I then wipe my mouth-was I checking for drool?!- and give him a once over._

 _"Hot. I wanna bury my hands in your soft, golden locks."_

OHMYGOD I DID NOT JUST SAY THAT.

 _I pat his cheek and then walk away._

The video is over...just like my life. I groan and try to hit my head in frustration but remembering the hangover, I decide to bite my pillow instead.

"Marinet-Mari! Stop!" Lucy hissed and pulled the pillow away from me.

"It's not that bad if you think about it!" She tries to be optimistic.

I hide myself under the blankets but stick one hand out and count, "1. I called him hot.. _to his face._ 2\. I SAID I wanted to bury my hands in his hair. 3. I pat his cheek and walked away without any explanation. I think we can conclude that my life is doomed."

"Uhh..not yet." I hear Alya mumble.

I poke my head out, "What else?"

And then I proceed to watch a compilation of me dancing like crazy in front of Adrien, spilling my drink on Adrien, talking in gibberish, winning at any game( that's the only good one!) and stuffing my face with cake and then grinning at Adrien with frosted lips.

I look away when Alya says,"Girl keep watching! You had a moment!"

I glance at the screen just in time to see _Adrien walk up to me and then lifting two fingers to my mouth, wiping away the frosting off my lips. And. Then. He. Licks. It. And then winks at me,smirking, and walks back to Nino._

Alya shuts her phone and then looks at me with a smug expression while my mouth shuts and opens multiple times. Lucy muffles her giggles and squeals and I just sit there like a gaping fish.

"That's an indirect kiss!" Alya and Lucy scream at the same time and I lie there still not believing it.

"I think we broke her." Alya whispers.

"Yeah, I think we did." Lucy whispers back.

After the shock settles down, my face heats up and I start laughing. If I don't laugh, I'll cry so HAHAHA.

Why don't I remember _any of this?!_ The thing that Adrien did was considered as flirting right? No, no I'm overthinking it. He just didn't want me to look like I just kissed a frosting fiend. He just considered us as _good friends_ anyways.

"He totally likes you girl!" Alya tells me.

"No, he doesn't." I say.

"Boys, you'll never figure 'em out." Lucy rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, you won't." A sultry, smooth voice says.

We turn our head to see Zayn enter the room, wearing a blazer over a white T-shirt with pants. He takes off this sunglasses and runs a hand through his hair.

He winks at me when he sees me looking at him and I scowl at him.

"How are you feeling, darling?" Zayn purrs.

He tries to play it off cool but I see a bit of worry and care in those blue eyes of his. My face softens at that.

"I'm fine. And don't call me that."

He relaxes in relief and then sits down on the beanbag near the window.

"Good, Zayn's here. Now tell me, Zayn. Who wouldn't fall for Mari?" Lucy asks him.

"Someone who is a fool, blind or an idiot." He says while he waves to Alya.

"There ya go!" Alya nudges my shoulder.

I sigh and get comfortable in my bed.

"Hey Al- I can call you _Al_ right? Thanks. Where did you get your hair done? That ombré looks amazing." Lucy gushes.

"It's natural. Yeah, I know!" Alya says when she sees Lucy's awestruck expression.

"How'd you get it to curl like that?!" Lucy as she twirls one of the auburn ringlets.

"So first I," Alya starts.

"Okay, you too. Off the bed. Go sit on the couch and talk about your hair stuff." Zayn tells them and walks over to the bed.

Lucy and Alya huff but get up and go sit on the couch in the corner of the room.

Zayn tells me to scoot, which I do and then settles in beside me. He gets comfortable in the blankets and takes his phone out of his pockets along with his earphones. He plugs them in and hands one pod to me while putting his in his ear.

I accept it,"Thanks. Why aren't you talking about hair products with them?"

He had been quieter today. He didn't flirt as much and had thrown smirks my way but something was.. _off._

"I've got the best gel in the world, babe." He says and scrolls through his music gallery, choosing a playlist.

"Zayn, are you okay? Is something wrong?" I ask him.

He freezes for a second but recovers and continues scrolling.

"No, why?"

"You're not flirting as much, I don't mind it, but, are you sure you're fine?"

"I didn't know you missed my flirting so much, darling. Don't worry, you want a line? Here. This isn't the last time we'll be sharing a bed." He winks at me and smiles.

It's a half-real half fake smile.

 _Something is off._ That's the last thought I have before music booms through the earphone and I drain out every thought.

I open my eyes to find my head on somebody's shoulder. I look up to see that I had fallen asleep on somebody. Zayn.

He was looking at picture of him and his parents but shut his phone off as soon as he felt me stir.

"Hey. You're awake, darling." He says and then looks out the window at the black sky filled with stars.

I look around the room to find that it's empty except the two of us.

"They've gone down for dinner. You were asleep so I didn't wake you up. They're going to send our food up in a couple of minutes. I waited with you as you had your beauty sleep, not that you need it." He smiles at me and that's when I see it.

His silver lined eyes, looking red.

I sit up straight and take his face in my hands. Idiot or no idiot he was still one of my greatest friends.

"Zayn, what happened?" I ask.

He tries to look away but I make him look straight into my eyes.

"Zayn, tell me. Tell us. We will help you." I coax him.

"I've never been one of you, Mari. I've been close to you but never in the group. I'm different and I feel like I'm piling on, dumping my problems on your head doesn't seem ideal."

"Zayn, shut up." I frown at him.

"My parents are splitting up."

Those were not the words I was expecting. The King and Queen of Crystallia had such a happy marriage. They loved their son very much. They treated my friends and I as their own children. The perfect family. And now, it was crumbling.

I don't say a word and hug him when I see tears pooling in his eyes. He hugs me back tightly and I feel his tears drip onto my shoulders but I just grip him more strongly. I think a few of my tears fall on him too but we just

keep holding on to each other. I don't know what it feels like to be in his situation, nor do I want to know. I just want to offer him my strength, share my hope with him, offer my support. From one friend to another.

"I don't want to let go of either of them, Mari. I'm not ready. I can't. I just want my parents to be happy again." His voice breaks at the end and my heart clenches.

"It's all going to be okay. Everything is going to be alright. You want your parents to be happy, maybe this is the only way. You don't have to let go of either one of them. They still love you very much."

"They loved each other too." He mumbles.

"Sometimes, love fades away. You can't do anything to help it. Sometimes, it's not meant to be. But when it is, it's worth it."

"I don't want love then."

"Don't be afraid to love, Zayn. Your parents had a wonderful fairytale love story."

"Where is the happy ending?"

"You're the happy ending, Zayn. Even if they didn't have one, doesn't mean you won't. I know that one day, you'll fall in love and when you do, I'll make sure you get your happy ending." I whisper to him comfortingly.

"You're the best, Marinette. I don't deserve you. Or James, Lucas and Lucy." He says and pulls back from our embraced.

We look at each other's tear stained faces and start laughing.

I hit him on his arm and he looks at me," What the hell, why?!"

"How dare you think you don't deserve me or the others. You're now one of us, Zayn. And don't call me by my actual name. It feels weird when you say it. Just don't call me darling."

"No promises, darling." He winked at me and we both laughed lightly.

John, the butler, then enters with two trays of food and sets them in front of us. Once he leaves, our stomachs grumble in sync. We burst out laughing at that and eat. Dinner that night was full of light hearted teasing, throwing fries at each other, trading stories and the continuation of a beautiful friendship.

The Royals now consisted of five members. And I didn't mind it one bit.

 **A.N.: Hey guys! *sigh* I know, I know. Not like my usual chapters. But I wanted to try something different. How'd it go? I know my story is slow-paced and there's not a lot of romance but think about it. Wouldn't it be strange if two people who barely talk to each other just start making out randomly. Anyways, I know I haven't included a lot of Adrien moments but that is because I want you guys to fall in love with my characters. I hope you've seen a different side of Zayn this chapter. Don't forget to review! Xoxo.i**


	23. Chapter 23

**A.N.: HEY GUYSSS! MY EXAMS OUR OVER YASSS. They were shit TBH and I don't expect anything great even though I was up studying till 3 every night. Anyways, here's the next chapter. It's longer than the other ones and I tried, _I really tried_ , to be more descriptive for you guys so I hope y'all don't laugh at my attempt. This is not edited or read through so if you find any typos, please bring it to my notice. This is a _different_ chapter. Wait till the end, my loves. DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW SO I KNOW YALL ARE STILL READING THIS CRAP. Okay I'm done, sorry. Now read.**

The next morning, I awoke in my own bed. I turned to my side to see a note on my side-table. I sat upright and picked the card up. I opened it to read Zayn's cursive handwriting.

 _You slept early last night. I brought you to your own room, thought you'd be more comfortable here. Thank you for last night...the world doesn't deserve you, darling. I brought up your things from last night. That red toy is in your drawer along with your phone (you will find some pretty hot pictures of me in there...and some **attractive** ones of you)._

 _P.S. I'm not gonna stop flirting. I'm not a sap, I'm still the flirty, badass, sexy, smooth, Greek God-like, better than the world Zayn._

 _P.P.S.: Take a bath, will you? It's almost been two days. You stink. Then get your pretty little ass down for breakfast. (Stop rolling your eyes)_

 _~Zayn._

I stopped rolling my eyes and chuckled, putting the note back. I opened the drawer and Tikki flew out and nuzzled my cheek.

"Marinette, please don't leave me alone again! James kept poking my stomach trying to figure out what I was stuffed with! It tickled!" She kept talking while holding tight.

I laughed at her and pat her head, "I won't, Tikki. I'm sorry."

"It's alright." She settled herself on my lap.

"Tikki, day before yesterday, did you see anyone suspicious through my hood? Anyone who could've spiked my punch?"

"I couldn't see much. I just heard music and your drunk self. I would've found it funny if I wasn't worried for you!"

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Tikki. It's just...I have a bad feeling about this. I can think of many people who would want me vulnerable."

"Like who?"

"Like someone I don't want to talk about or talk to for a very long time. Forget it. Do I stink?"

I'm sure Tikki noticed my not so subtle change of topic, but I was thankful for her not saying anything. I was not ready to talk about the person that had been the cause for the mess my life had become at the age of 15.

"No, you don't. Why?" She giggled.

"Ha! I should still take a bath though..." I mumbled while Tikki flew towards my backpack to fetch some cookies I had left.

I picked up my phone to see it was 9:30 am. I went to my gallery and laughed as I saw pictures of me sleeping and some of the silliest selfies of Zayn. _Attractive, huh?_ I kept the phone back down and got up.

I walked into my closet, pressing buttons and opening compartments to choose what to wear. In the end, I went with a simple pastel pink t-shirt with a knot, it said the word 'cute' on the front, light wash denim high-waisted jeans and some white converse. I was heading towards the bathroom when Tikki called my name.

I turned and returned to my bedroom to see Tikki holding a necklace.

"Didn't your mother tell you to give this to your grandmother?" She asked.

Oh shoot! She did. I completely forgot about it. I hadn't even had a proper look at the necklace yet.

"I am so forgetful...I pity myself. Yes, I need to give it to her. Let me see it for a second." I said as Tikki handed it over.

It felt extremely light even though it didn't look like it. As soon as I touched it, I felt little sparks at the contact and tingles shot up my fingers. Huh, weird. That didn't happen in Paris. It was made of...I don't know. It looked like gold but had a rosey tint to it. It sparkled like crystals even though it appeared to be a metal. Small, clean cut diamonds were embedded into it throughout the ornament. The centre of the necklace had three flowers made of the shiniest jewels that reflected light brightly. The necklace was the most beautiful one I had ever seen.

"This-This is gorgeous! I don't think I've ever held anything like this before." I was at a loss of words.

"Try it on Marinette! It looks amazing." Tikki whispered in awe.

I turned towards my long mirror and brought the necklace up to my neck. As soon as it touched my collarbones, I felt a sharp pain and let go of my necklace. Tikki was quick to notice and swooped down, catching the necklace which she was now struggling to carry. What was that? My fingers, my neck felt as if they were burning but when I dropped the necklace, the pain seized.

"Be careful Marinette! This could be a family heirloom." Tikki chastised and finally set it on my bed.

"It stung me, Tikki. As soon as I tried to wear it, I felt instant pain. I have no idea what happened. Maybe my skin is sensitive to the material used? I don't know. All I know is that I need to give this to Grams as soon as possible." I said.

- _-Break--_

After getting ready for the day, with Tikki hiding in my satchel along with the necklace, I head out of my room. I made a detour from going to the dining hall for breakfast and knocked on my grandmother's door. She was getting ready for the day and opened the door.

"Ah, my favourite granddaughter." She kissed my cheek and walked back into her closet, trying to choose a crown for her meeting with the Prime Minister today.

"I'm your only granddaughter, Grams." I laughed and shut the door behind me.

"Wasn't I supposed to see you at breakfast in a few minutes?" Her voice asked from her closet while I sat on the couch of her personal suite.

"Yeah, that's where I was heading before I realised I had forgotten to give you something. Maman sent you a necklace which I have some questions about."

As soon as the words left my mouth, the Queen came rushing out and was in front of me in moments.

"A necklace? May I see it?" She said.

I shrugged and pulled it out of my satchel, ignoring the tingles it shot up my arm.

"Thank you. This is for your coronation." She smiled at me and carefully took the necklace from me, going back inside the closet to probably put it next to her crowns and necklaces. She returned in a minute and sat down next to me.

"I tried to put it on. It didn't let me, the necklace tried to resist and sent a flash of pain through me. What was that all about? What is this necklace made of? The centre jewels aren't diamonds. What are they?" I asked.

"I'll answer your questions some other day, my girl. For now, go pig out on your yummy breakfast!" My grandma exclaimed.

Well that was suspicious. I smiled at her and nodded anyways.

\-- _Break--_

Breakfast was...interesting. The Royals smiled at me discreetly as I headed to the table with Al, Nino and my sweet Adrien. What a drool worthy sight he was in that v-neck and jeans. They all asked me about how I was doing after the incident at the sleepover. I said that I was fine and Al acted as if she hadn't been in my room just last night. I was eating my cereal and toast when I heard a voice.

"Hello, ladies. You both look radiant today..as always." Zayn said as he plopped down on the chair next to me that he brought with him to our table.

"I agree." Lucas grinned and did the same as Zayn, sitting next to Nino.

Everybody had started treating the Royals like regular teenagers which they couldn't be more happy about. Nino just rolled his eyes and I could almost smell the jealousy radiating off of him. Alya noticed too and kissed him on the cheek which relaxed him. Adrien had his jaw clenched and was playing around with the cherry tomatoes on his plate, suddenly very interested in his breakfast. What was that all about?

I, playing the part of a thankful schoolgirl, said, "Thank you Your Highnesses, for making sure I was safe and having someone take care of me. I really appreciate it and am forever in your gratitude."

Okay so I was a tad bit more dramatic and extra but I really was grateful.

"No problem...Marinette wasn't it?" Lucas said.

It was hard not to smile while I nodded.

"It's no big deal. Marinette's a beautiful name. We have beautiful names too, like us. Call us Zayn and Lucas darling." Zayn winked at me and took a bite of his bacon.

I forced myself to blush while internally I was rolling my eyes and laughing.

"Got it." I smiled.

"So boys, why have you joined us for breakfast on our table today?" Alya raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, we've been doing this at every table. We're explaining our plans for tomorrow. James refused to help us in announcing as he was too lazy so we used him as a sacrificial offering at the last table we vistited. Take a look at the table behind you." Lucas explained and drank orange juice from his glass.

We all turned around to see Chloe almost sitting on James' lap as he tried to push her off but she held her ground and remained firmly planted on her spot. She was flirting openly and James looked around, seeking help to save him from her clutches. I saw Lucy sitting next to Grams, shooting daggers with her eyes at the blonde girl, she tried not to be too obvious but I could see through her clearly.

We all laughed and turned back around. My poor, poor cousin.

"That creature is not a girl, I tell you. No human should be able to sink their claws into guys that fast. She tried latching onto me but I was quick and Zayn had to take the fall. He sweet-talked her into that Zayn way of his and somehow convince her to release him. I then found out that Zayn had told Chloe that James was completely single and ready to mingle. She was so happy that she started jumping around in her seat. Zayn did that because James didn't help us due to his laziness. Zayn is P-E-T-T-Y. Instead of saying petty, people say his name. If you search the word petty, his name comes up as an example- No, as the definition-" Lucas ranted.

"I think they get the point Lucas. Along with petty, many other words can be used to define me, like perfect, hot, sexy, charming, badass, kind, the best, and you catch my drift right." Zayn drawls.

"Yeah, more like cocky and arrogant." Lucas says.

"Aw, don't go talking about yourself like that Lukey." Zayn coos at Lucas and leans over to pinch his cheek which is slapped away by him.

"Stop. Now let's tell them what we came to do. Tomorrow, we're going to the Bubble Beach Festival. It's organised once every two years and that day is tomorrow." Lucas says.

 _No way!_ I completely forgot about the Bubble Beach visit this year! It's one of my favourite days. Cheerful, happy people enjoying their day at the beach. And add bubbles to the mix and it's a dream come true. Bubbles are the best after all.

"What is the Bubble Beach Festival?" Nino asks, cocking is head.

"It's held at the beach. We celebrate bubbles, that act as a symbol of joy and friendliness. There's a carnival organised. Bubbles are blown everywhere. There's even a parade held. You'll know. As soon as we get there, the bubbles will be the only thing you can see. It's like the National Bubbles Day of Genovia. It's not just the plain bubbles but bubbles of different shapes,sizes, colours,etc. There's even a pool of endless bubble solution so that people can refill their bottles. It's tons of fun." Zayn finishes and smiles.

Alya, Nino and Adrien seem really interested and find it very fascinating. They look excited. So does the rest of the hall. Except James who is currently getting kissed on the cheek by Chloe. He has a gag face on but Chloe doesn't notice with her eyes shut. Lucy has had enough. She smiles at my grandmother and tells her something while pointing to the juice counter. She gets up with her glass of pineapple juice half full and is making her way across tables when she pauses ever so slightly at Chloe's table and _accidentally_ trips.

The juice falling all over Chloe. _Go Lucy! That's my girl!_

Chloe squeals at the cold feeling and shoots right up, now on her feet and not on James' lap who sighs in relief and heads back to his own table. Chloe starts shrieking still with her eyes shut.

" _OMG. What is wrong with you?!_ Don't you know my dad is the may-" Chloe stops when she sees that it's a Princess standing in front of her. Whose dad is a King.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going and tripped." Lucy says but I know she doesn't mean it.

Chloe, who can't say anything, just mumbles that's it's okay and rushes out of the hall to go change out of her pineapple-smelling sticky clothes, Sabrina following her. We could still hear her frustrated screams when she's out. Lucy just smirks at the now closed door, refills her glass at the juice counter and goes takes her place next to my grandmother. I know Grandma knows why she did it too by the knowing look in her eyes. Lucas, Zayn and I also share a look before everybody in the hall laughs. The people on my table laugh hysterically.

"I feel sympathy for James thought. I have been Chloe's victim since I don't even remember." Adrien adds as he finishes his omelette.

"I feel sorry for you." Lucas and Zayn wince.

"Anyways, everybody in the main hall by 10:30 am. Wear your swimsuits under your clothes. We will be providing you guys with your bubble equipment. Catch up on your beauty sleep, even though you girls don't need it, as we will be staying there till a little past midnight. Why? It's a surprise." Lucas winks and gets up.

"Can't wait to see you ladies in bikinies." Zayn playfully winks at Alya and I.

"You wish." Alya and I say in sync.

"Oh yes I do." He looks at me and gets up with a smile.

Adrien notices and a muscle in his face twitches while he claims that he's done with his breakfast. Nino agrees and they both bid us goodbye and head to their rooms.

That just leaves Alya and I at our table.

"Sooo..." I drawl, "Wanna watch a movie with the Royals?"

"You know it." Alya says.

\-- _Break--_

We watched _Friends for 8 hours. Yes, 8 whole hours. Instead of watching a movie for 2-3 hours, we went with the best show of all time. My personal theatre was occupied just by the 6 of us. A lot of snacks were ordered too. James recited dialogues which he had memorised by watching the episodes so many times. He and I were the loudest ones when we all sang the theme song every single time. It was seven when we finished and we realised it was time for dinner._

I was now back in my room after an hour of a pretty standard normal dinner. I learnt that Nino and Adrien had gone golfing in the castle's golf course. Chloe and Sabrina had gone shopping in the mall close by. The rest of them had all gone swimming in our heated pool.

I opened my satchel to talk to Tikki and I saw her figure lying inside, shivering.

" _Achoo!"_ I heard her sneeze.

"Tikki!" I gently got her out of there and under my blanket.

"Are you okay?" I asked when she sneezed again.

"N-not really. I'm sick again. Is there any healer her who's can heal me?" Her teeth clattered.

"Where am I going to find a person in Genovia who heals magical creat-" I stop.

I _do_ know a person in Genovia who can heal magical creatures.

"Tikki, have you ever heard of pixies?" I ask her as I head into the closet and change into a sweater with jeans and throw on a jacket that comes till my mid thigh.

"Yes, they are distant cousins of the Kwamis. W-why?" She asks when I enter my bed chamber and grab my satchel again.

"I'll explain when you're okay. Now tell me, can you manage one more transformation?" I ask hopefully.

"Yes." She answers.

"Okay then. Tikki! _Transform me!"_

one transformation sequence later*

I run towards my balcony and detach the yo-yo from my side.

And then Ladybug zooms into the night, towards Twinkle Hollow.

I reach the waterfall near the lake where Chat and I almost kissed. _Shut up Mari! I need to heal Tikki not think about a guy._

I release my transformation and Tikki falls into my cupped hands, fainting. I quickly walk behind the rainbow and take small steps, making sure I don't fall. The cool water splashes at my calves but I manage to get into the cave behind speedily.

As soon as I enter, I'm allowed past the magic shield put around to keep strangers out. From the moment I walk through the gates of this magical place, all senses overwhelm me. I hear the faint sound of music and melodious voices. I look up to see the hollow just as it was when I was here last. The rocks that formed the walls were blue with vines and bright pink flowers growing on them. The ground was soft with grass that never died. The roof of the place was twenty feet higher than where I stood with a chandelier made by nature which remained glowing by the stardust placed in each bulb. Twinkle Hollow was much bigger than a cave should be. It was it's own little city. There were crystals placed on each wall that provided light. I was just at the entrance. Sparkling water trickled down from certain spots on the walls, which soothed the mind.

"Is that...Marinette?" I heard a high-pitched voice. I turned towards my right to see two pixies floating.

"Clara, Viv?" I recognised them.

They squealed and flew towards me, nuzzling my cheek.

I had missed this place so much. I smiled at them and then saw at least ten other pixies appear from inside the cave.

"Marinette's here!"

"She's finally back."

"Our princess is here!"

I heard all sorts of cries as they all welcomed me back.

"I am so glad to see you guys. I want to talk to every one of you and the remaining ones inside but first, please take me to Annalise. It's urgent."

They all gasp when I reveal Tikki.

"A Kwami?"

"Is she alright?"

"What happened to our sister?"

"We must take her to Annalise at once!"

The lead me deeper into the cave, right at the end where the main room would be. As I walk through, it becomes very difficult not to take certain turns and head into other sections to visit the other pixies. As we move further ahead, the ground gets smoother, the music gets louder, livelier, the lights become brighter and the magical feeling grows stronger. Suddenly white light engulfs me and I know we're there.

There are four yellow crystals placed in each corner that light up the room with golden light emitted out. There are pixies on one side playing instruments and singing. On the other side are some more pixies dancing, flying and playing around. In the centre there's a throne made of stones and vines. Three pixies braid the long, smooth, shiny, lavender hair of the person sitting on it. The size of the figure, like mine, is way bigger than that of the hand sized pixies that are fairies. She was humming a tune as she played with the amulet around her neck. As soon as I entered, she stopped and dropped the amulet from her hands and turned her head towards me. The music stopped and all was quiet.

She stood up, the pixies braiding her hair, now letting go, and turned towards me. The dress she was wearing was made by individual sparkes of golden glitter that held up together as clothing by magic. Her face looked young and flawless. Her silky hair bounced off the light and the crown of flowers on her head enhanced its beauty. Tears shone in her golden-turquoise eyes when they looked at me. Her lips formed a youthful smile which parted to talk in the sweetest voice imaginable.

"Marinette?"

And in front of me was Queen Annalise . My ancestor. The first ever Queen of Genovia.

 **A.N.: DUN DUN DUNNNN. Hey, I hoped you liked this chapter. It was longer, I feel, wasn't it? I know I've gotten better but I'm still learning so appreciate the effort, thank you guys. Nawww I'm kidding y'all are great. I can't believe people actually read this thing I've written. The story is incredibly slow-paced and I apologise but they're only staying in Genovia for a couple weeks so I'm trying to describe every single day. I'm sorry if there were any grammatical errors, I didn't proof-read this. So, I hope you have a nice day. Don't forget to follow, favourite and review! Xoxo.**


	24. Chapter 24

**A.N.: Sorry for the _very_ late update guys. I apologise but I'm gonna be needing more time meaning slow updates. Please don't lose faith in this story because I am definitely gonna finish it. I don't know how this chapter turned out tbh but I hope you like it anyways.. don't forget to review! Now read.**

"Marinette?"

"Hello, Annalise." I whisper.

Queen Annalise. The wife of King Stefan. Daughter of King Archer, the first ruler of Genovia. Their tale goes something like this.

Centuries ago, a war broke out between the royal clans and kingdoms. The major parties were the Darkwoods and the Dupains. Queen Annalise and King Stefan had just had their baby daughter, Genevieve after whom the kingdom was named. When things got worse, King Stefan bid goodbye to his family and jumped onto the battlefield to lead his forces. He defeated the Darkwoods and claimed their land. The war wasn't over but it was more controlled now which urged Stefan to return home. When he returned, he was told that his wife was dead. Annalise had died protecting their daughter from the assassins that had creeped in along the darkness of night. Stefan was devastated and angry. He was furious at the Gods for taking his love away from him. To distract himself, he wore his armour once again and joined his army on the battlefield. He wasn't so lucky this time, for he died brutally. Annalise's father, the first King, took to the throne once again and raised Genevieve who became Queen.

Yeah, that story is the furthest thing from the truth. It makes Annalise sound weak and helpless. I'll explain later.

"When did you get here?" She whispered.

"A few days back. I tried visiting before but I had some...problems." I murmured thinking of Chat.

"What is that in your hands?"

"Oh right. Annalise..please heal her. She's my kwami and she's suddenly very sick. Can you do something?" I asked her desperately.

"A kwami? You have a kwami? Are you one of the miraculous holders?" She asked as she took Tikki from my hands and laid her on a floating cushion she made with her magic.

"Yes. I'm Ladybug."

"Hm. I always knew you'd have it come to you."

"Y-you did?" I asked with wide eyes.

She smiled at me, "I'll explain when the kwami wakes up. For now, take the pixies and head outside. I need to concentrate for this."

I nodded and went outside with the pixies trailing behind me. Viv, a pixie with white hair and big blue eyes tugged at my hand and guided me into their dancing room.

The stone walls were golden and the ceiling was too high up for even a giant to touch, thanks to Annalise's magic. The cave and waterfall were already sprinkled with some glamour magic that disguised he actual size of the interior. The floor was a bed of soft grass that was always vibrant. There were equidistant gold vases attached at a height on the walls out of which tumbled out purple bell-shaped flowers. On one corner of the hall, there were all types of musical instruments you could imagine. They were placed in an aesthetically pleasing order, waiting to be played. There were seats on two sides of the room, where the pixies usually sat and braided each other's hair to pass time.

My mind drifted towards Tikki. Will she be okay? Can Annalise heal her? Last time this happened Tikki actually knew a healer. She's been asleep most of the time in Genovia.

"Come on Marinette! Your kwami will be alright. Trust Annalise. Will you dance with us again? It'll distract you." Viv asked me.

I was about to refuse but Clara flitted towards me and floated right in front of my face, her tiny wings sparkling like her glowing blonde hair.

"Please Marinette? We missed you. It's been years since we danced with you."

One look at the pixies' puppy eyes and pouts, I caved.

 _Oh come on, like you wouldn't!_

I sighed in defeat and shot a small genuine smile at the pixies. I nodded at them and they squealed in excitement. I missed these little creatures so much.

A little group of them fluttered across the room and picked up their favourite instruments. I took my shoes off and left my satchel on a bench in the corner. I stepped onto the dancing area and felt the soft grass underneath my feet. Clara and Viv grabbed my hands and pulled me till the centre.

"You still remember how the dance goes right?" Viv asked me as all of us formed a circle.

"Most of it. I'll just follow your lead."

"Right. Let it flow pixies!" Viv shouted at the musicians.

The pixies nodded and started playing. As soon as the first note was heard, the grass inside of our circle started glowing. Certain parts of the grass flowed silver and formed the shape of a huge flower when viewed from above. Three beats from the drum and we danced around it. I twirled and clapped to the rhythm, my feet moving automatically. The music flowed through the air, livening up the whole place. I skipped around the circle, my hands following the pixies' movements. I lost myself in the music like I did everytime I came here. Once I got used to it, I closed my eyes and followed the beat. Cheers and laughter was heard from the pixies who sat instead of dancing.

I opened my eyes and felt the adrenaline rush. The room was spinning as I turned around in fast circles. My body moved effortlessly to the tune along with the pixies. The fast beat slowed down as we reached the end of the song and I swayed before we all came to a stop. I was panting slightly, not having done this in a long time.

I looked at Clara and Viv and let out a laugh. They happily giggled back. The other pixies cheered and urged me to join them for the next round too but I declined and sat on the bench in the corner.

Flora, the adorable and chatty pixie, flew towards me holding a flower crown in her little hands.

"Mari, help me out!" She said as she panted and passed the _heavy_ flower crown to me.

"Mari!" She squealed and tackled my face to nuzzle against my cheek.

"You recovered quick, huh Flora?" I hugged her back.

"Where were you? I didn't see you in the throne room." I asked her when she pulled back.

"I was sleeping." She said sheepishly, "I woke up because of the music and then I saw you dancing! I was so excited but didn't want to interrupt you so I made this crown in the mean time. Put it on!"

I chuckled and placed the crown of daisies on my hair.

"You look gorgeous. Your midnight blue hair compliments the white of the daisies flawlessly. Plus your blue bell eyes match the whole colour scheme. Oh my Gods, if I can add some yellow in...no I don't think so. Yellow will look tacky...some pink maybe? That would be too much. I like the simple look. Oh never mind," she gasped, "sparkles! Starlight. You need starlight with that! Come on." She rambled.

 _Yeah I told you she was chatty._

"Calm down, Flora. Take a breath." I smiled at her in amusement.

She nodded and took a deep breath before grinning.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I haven't seen you in so long. You're my favourite model to try these looks on, remember?" Flora tilted her head.

"Yes I do. Fine, let's go add some starlight." How could I say no to my favourite pixie?

"Wait...can I do your hair?"

I flicked my ponytail and caught it in my hand. I twirled it and then shrugged, "Sure."

I turned and let her face my back. She passed me my hair tie and took off the flower crown. As she started her work, I played with the hair tie and let my mind wander off.

Is Tikki going to be alright? What happened to her? Do all kwamis fall sick like this? Does Chat's kwami get sick? What is Chat doing here in Genovia? Why is he here? Where is he now? Why is he so hot? _Woah._

 _Thoughts getting a little out of hand there, Mari?_

Ugh but still! Why is he here? Did I not ask him? Why am I so stupid? Wait..could he be on the school trip too?! That would mean he's in my class..which is totally absurd. Psh there's no way. Maybe there is.

He said that he'll see me again. Here. In Genovia. He hasn't, meaning he's still here. Why hasn't he visited then?

 _So you want him to visit you then?_

Now that just makes me sound like a desperate maiden. I'm just...okay I got nothing.

"Done!" Flora's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

She hummed and flew down to pick the flower crown up, which she placed atop my head once again.

"Now for the starlight," she said as she rubbed her hands together and tilted her head, asking me to follow her.

She asked me to stand under one of the vases attached on the walls and close my eyes. I did so and smiled as I remembered a memory.

 _Little six year old me under the same vase. Starlight was my favourite accessory back then. Glitter powder made from crushed stars. It's source is through the purple bell shaped flowers inside the vases. The starlight floats till your head and then arranges itself to look as beautiful as it can._

 _Flora had arranged my hair in pigtails and I was wearing a dress made by a group of fashion pixies. I grinned when Flora asked for the starlight to fall and giggled when I felt it tickle my scalp. Starlight stuck to my pale pink dress in swirling patterns and on my head, sparkling._

Right now, I waited under the vase as Flora touched the flower.

"We require starlight. If you please!"

The flowers tinkled and like pollen, starlight floated down from their centre. Silver, shiny sparkles arranged themselves on my head.

"It looks so pretty!"

"Gorgeous."

"Woah. I want that done too!"

The pixies who had seen it complimented me and I thanked them.

"Mari you've _got_ to see this. You need to do this for your ball too!" Flora exclaimed.

"The Masquerade ball or My Coronation?"

"Whatever you want. For now, let me fetch you a mirror." And she vanished but reappeared in a minute.

"What was that?" I asked.

"What was what?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"The vanishing? You just went _poof."_

 _"Ooh!_ That's called tinfering. We just learnt the skill!" She exclaimed.

 _Tinfering?_ I've never heard of this word before. It's new, I guess. That is so cool though.

"How does it work?"

"You close your eyes and imagine where you want to go. Then you imagine yourself in that spot and will your body into going there and _voila._ Only for pixies though." She said and handed me the round hand mirror.

I smiled as I looked at the silver back of the mirror with the letter " _M"_ carved in beautiful calligraphy at the bottom. I turned it around and looked at my reflection.

 _Wow._

My hair looked gorgeous. The white and yellow crown of daisies stood out brightly against my dark hair. The starlight swirled before it and made a mesmerising pattern. The silver dust was shining and sparkling. I couldn't stop staring at my head. The accessories aside, Flora had done my hair perfectly. Two sections from the front of my hair were braided and pulled back, forming a crown. The other part of my hair was left open in waves. I thanked Flora and right then, the door opened and Annalise came rushing in.

She handed Tikki to me, "She's healed but weak. You need to feed her now. Even though I want to talk to you more, you have to go take care of Tikki. I'll see you soon."

"Thank you, Annalise. I'll visit soon, don't worry." I smiled at her and then at the pixies in goodbye.

I winked at Flora and placed Tikki in my satchel carefully. Checking that I had everything, I ran out of the cave and out from behind the waterfall. I walked away, halfway down the bank of the lake when I paused.

 _How am I going to get home?_

I heard someone land next to me.

"Lost, princess?" Chat Noir's voice called out.

 **A.N.: I'm sorry for the late update but I really can't help it. School's stressing me out big time lately. I ask you to bear with me even with the slow updates. I haven't given up on the story guys. Just need time in between chapters. I hope you understand and I hoped you liked it. Xoxo. (p.s.: please excuse the mistakes)**


	25. Chapter 25

**A.N.: HEY GUYS! I'm so so so so sorry for the hiatus. School stressed me out big time plus my grades dropped by like a lot. I lost motivation and didn't feel like writing anymore but your beautiful reviews and comments urged me to write this small little chapter. I hope you guys still like it and I'm so sorry for this being short but I felt like I owed you guys this since long. Thanks for being the best readers till now and I hope you like this! Now read.**

"Lost, Princess?"

I jumped and turned around to find Chat Noir, twirling his baton in one hand and running his other through his golden blonde hair, messing it even further. I had to try very hard to not give into the temptation of running my fingers through his hair at that moment.

"What the-?! What are you doing here?" I asked with wife eyes.

"I should be asking you that but well, I'll answer the lady first. I was bored." He flashed me a carefree grin.

...he was... _bored?_

"You visit unknown forests when you're bored?"

"Nope. Just lakes and waterfalls with the clearest water I've ever seen. Now, you answer my question. What are you doing here?"

I was about to blurt out something regarding Luna but then realised I had come here as Ladybug. Damn.

"My horse ran off!" I had to blink at my answer too.

Chat tilted his head and squinted his eyes, "Are you kidding?"

"I don't think s- No I'm not! She just dashed away, back towards the palace! Leaving me all alone just waiting to be rescued by a...handsome and charming hero." THATS a trick I had learnt while patrolling Paris with him.

Chat loved compliments...especially from me.

He smirked and leaned against his baton turned cane, "Really? Well you're in luck cause we've got one of those right here"

"Yes how fortunate."

"Was that sarcasm I heard?"

"No way!"

He smiled at me but then frowned, "You really shouldn't be out so late alone Marinette."

I shifted my feet, "You've said that before."

He sighed, "And you obviously didn't listen. Come on, I'll get you home."

"I owe you big time." I placed my palm into his outstretched hand.

He tugged and I stumbled forward, our faces inches apart.

He spoke firmly, "Don't wander here alone again."

I gulped, "No promises."

We stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like eternity before he shook his head and stepped back before scoffing and kicking the pebbles, placing his hands on his hips. He closed his eyes and looked up, huffing, like he was resisting something. Once he composed himself, he rubbed his hands and then held one of mine.

"Remember this?" He twirled his baton.

"Of course, the stick." I rolled my eyes.

He chuckled and then pulled me closer before turning and picking me up.

"Piggy-back rides your forté, Princess?" He asked.

"Chat you better not drop me."

"No promises."

Those were the last words I heard before we were shooting up and forward. No warnings. Thanks Chat. He was leaping over trees alternating with using his baton. I closed my eyes against the sharp wind and locked my arms tighter around his shoulders. My hair was whipping against my cheeks and I could smell the earthy scent of the forest fade away. I rest my head in the crook of his neck and sighed. We slowed down at that but he picked up the pace again and we were outside the palace in no time.

"Which floor, Princess?" He asked and my eyes snapped open.

"Huh? What? Oh, I'll go inside myself. That's alright."

"What kind of a gentleman would I be? Leaving a lady alone without knowing if she's reached home safely."

"Okay Chat, dial down on the drama. I'll be fine, seriously." I rolled my eyes and pat his shoulder but _of course_ he didn't catch the hint and didn't release me.

"And I'm not leaving, seriously."

"Are you seriously going to break into the palace just to get me to my room? What's up with the security in this place?"

He chuckled, "I'm afraid they didn't bother about protecting it from strong and smouldering superheroes."

"More like stubborn and strange."

"You wound me. Now please, point your pretty, little finger to the window where you'd like me to drop you off."

Well I guess I'll be staying in the guest room tonight too.

"That one." I pointed.

"You got it." He extended his baton till the point where I had to grip his shoulder and tell him to stop.

"Scared?" I could hear his teasing smile.

"Terrified!" I responded sarcastically and he leaned forward, dropping us and delivering me into the balcony.

I landed and turned to see him sitting comfortably at the railing.

"What, no thank you kiss?" He asked.

"As if." I scoffed and remembered Tikki in my satchel.

"Thanks Chat, I really appreciate you bringing me back. I don't know what I would do without you tonight." I smiled sincerely at him.

He was caught off guard for a second but recovered quick and said, "Don't go all sweet on me Mari or I won't be able to resist a taste."

I tried to hide my blush by looking down when he gasped.

"Your hair! What's all of that shiny stuff on it?" He whispered in awe.

"O-oh that. Uh..it's just glitter." I stuttered out.

"What? What were you doing with glitter?"

"...Oh you know! Alya! You know Alya right?" He nodded and I continued with the hasty lie, "She was trying on all these looks on me for tomorrow's festival- Speaking of which, will I be seeing you there tomorrow?"

I think I changed the subject quite smoothly because he nodded and smiled, "Of course. You won't be able to recognise me though."

"Aw right. Well, I hope I still attack you with bubbles."

"It would be my pleasure, Marinette." He winked.

"Okay it sounds weird to hear you not calling me _Princess._ Wait! I forgot to ask you something- What are you doing here, in Genovia anyways?"

"I didn't tell you? Well _Princess,_ I'm here on vacation with some friends." He smiled at me.

I nodded slowly and shrugged.

"Well you better get going then. It's late. I'll see you soon then." I said and turned when he caught my wrist.

"Wait."

"What is it?" I asked, puzzled.

He stared at me for a moment before leaning forward and pecking my cheek. He grinned, "A cat's gotta receive his thankyou payment somehow. Goodbye, Princess."

And then he left me at the balcony with my hand half raised, waving slowly and my jaw hanging.

 _Snap out of it Mari! You look stupid._

I shook my head and glared at his retreating figure. _Thag damn cat!_

I calmed my thundering heart and headed inside. I placed my satchel on the sofa and got a cookie from the jar next to the bed. I picked Tikki up and urged her to eat the cookie. She gobbled it up and then started spinning around happily and healthily.

"I feel so good! What happened?" She giggled.

I explained it to her, leaving the balcony part out because I wasn't ready for the squeals yet.

"Okay let's go to sleep now! We have the Bubble Beach Festival to look forward to tomorrow!" She giggled and then nuzzled herself in the crook of my neck.

I hugged her and put the lights out, sleeping with my cheek still feeling warm.

 **A.N.: I hope you liked this very short chapter (excuse the mistakes if I've made some). I just felt that it was due and you guys deserved at least _something_ from me. I'm so sorry for the hiatus and I can't promise regular updates but I'll try my best. Thanks for being the best readers and encouraging me with your reviews! Now I've got a little teaser for you guys. There'll be some surprising news at the festival, look forward to that ;) Question- Do you like Zayn or Lucas more? I just wanted to know. I'll see you guys later (hopefully soon enough) Xoxo.**


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